


Fight Club

by cheshire6845



Series: Monsters [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Dark One Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Emma is a vampire, Fight Club References, Fighting, Gen, Language, New York City, Regina and Zelena raised Emma, Regina is the Dark One and a vampire, Sequel no one asked for, Snow is the Alpha for her werewolf pack, Vampires, Werewolves, some vampire references to blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-01-28 18:58:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12613232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshire6845/pseuds/cheshire6845
Summary: A/U Regina is the Dark One and a vampire. Emma is the Savior and a vampire.  When werewolves from Snow's pack go missing, she calls on Emma and Regina for help.(Yes, it's part 2 of a series but it's less a sequel and more just another story in this particular AU)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes:**   This is a sequel that no one asked for, but I tried to make it so it can stand on its own. I think I succeeded. That being said, I’ll try to include notes when references are made to that story. The story is complete but I'm still polishing as I post. I own nothing, obviously.

Things worth knowing: The Master was the big bad in the first story. He took the Dark One powers from Rumple, but Regina defeated the Master by becoming the Dark One.  Emma was raised by Zelena and Regina and refers to them as her aunts.

 

** 1 Year after the Master’s Defeat **

“Miss Emma?” Javier poked his head into the study. “There’s a Neal Gold here to see you?”

Emma looked up from her laptop. “Uhm…okay.” She glanced down at herself. She looked respectable enough for unexpected company. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“A business matter between his father Robert Gold and Miss Regina.”

She knew the name; everyone knew the name. Robert Gold was one of the richest businessmen in the city, but no one quite knew what exactly his business was. Oddly enough, no one even knew what he looked like which made him something of an enigma in the modern world. Emma may have been somewhat managing Regina’s life for the past year without her aunt being around, but she knew she had only scratched the surface on the brunette’s dealings. It didn’t surprise her too much that Regina would’ve had dealings with Robert Gold. “Send him in, I guess.”

Javier nodded and walked back out. Emma bent over and fished around for the shoes she had kicked off, slipping them back on. She’d just stood up to greet her guest when Javier escorted Neal Gold back into the study. Emma’s greeting died on her lips. “Neal?!”

 “Hi, Emma.”

He was older than the last time she’d seen him, but then it had been almost ten years. His sheepish greeting grated against her nerves. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Neal held up his hands. “We need to talk.”

“Miss Swan?” Javier asked, the use of her last name making it clear he would happily escort their guest out if she said the word.

Emma’s heart was pounding in her throat at the sight of the man in front of her, but Neal was harmless. He always had been. He was one of the rich kid sons that she had partied with back in the day; apparently, if Robert Gold was his father, he’d been the _richest_ son she’d partied with.

Neal had always been fun with his laid-back manner and his rumpled too-expensive clothes. He still managed to look rumpled with a messenger bag slung across his chest and two-day old stubble on his face. Neal had never wanted anything more than to have a good time and free himself from any and all responsibilities. They’d been so similar; it was no wonder they’d ended up in bed together more than once.

Until he’d left her in a hotel bathtub, suffering from a serious overdose.

“It’s okay, Javier,” she said finally. “Mister _Gold_ won’t be staying long.”

Neal waited until the butler left, stepping out of his way, before he said, “Can you blame me for the fake name? Would you have seen me if I’d said Neal Cassidy?”

She accepted the question as rhetorical. That he was right wasn’t something she had to acknowledge. “What do you want, Neal?”

“Right.” He ran his hand through his hair. “My, uh, dad…he died yesterday.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. From what she could remember, Neal had never really gotten along with his father.

“Yeah, his health had been failing him for the past year,” he said, watching her closely, “ever since he got back from a…trip.”

“I’m sorry,” she said without any attempt at emotion. She folded her arms over her chest. “What does that have to do with you being here?”

“My dad’s name wasn’t Robert Gold,” he said, rubbing the back of his head as looked away. “That was just an alias.”

“An alias?”

He nodded.

“O-kay. So, what was your dad’s name?”

He grimaced. “Rumplestiltskin.”

“Wha-?” she stumbled back a step. “Rumple…your dad…” Her retreat ended when her butt hit the edge of the desk. “What?!”

Neal kept his eyes cast downward. “Yeah.”

“You’re from… _there_?” she asked breathlessly. “Rumple, h-he cast the curse…he brought…did you know the whole time?” His lack of a response confirmed the suspicions that were stampeding through her head. “You _knew_! You knew who I was!”

He backed up when she moved towards him. “I only knew you were magical. I didn’t know who you were or what your circumstances were. I didn’t _want_ to know.”

“How did you know?”

“When you’ve been around magic as much as I have, you can feel it. I know when it’s there.” He frowned at her. “Just like I know your magic now is different than the last time I saw you.” His eyes narrowed as he studied her more closely. “Wow, yeah, he told me about that.”

“Told you about what?” she snapped.

“The, uh, change in your diet.”

She hadn’t been a vampire the last time she’d seen Neal.  She leaned back. “Oh, yeah…well, what else did he tell you about?”

“That you were with him last year when something happened to his magic.”

The cloud of black energy that the Master had expelled violently from Rumple. The darkness, that because of Emma’s actions, had found a new home in Regina. “Is that why you’re here? Because of what happened that day?”

“Partially,” he admitted and stumbled backwards when fire lit up in Emma’s palm. “Whoa! Hey, calm down! I’m not upset about it.”

“Why not?” she demanded. She’d been on edge the entire past year, expecting some sort of retaliation from the former Dark One.

“Because this past year has been the best time I’ve spent with him since I was a boy,” Neal admitted hurriedly. He gestured for her to lower the fireball. “All that darkness, all that magical crap was finally gone. He was just a man again, and I’d…missed him.”

Emma snuffed out the fireball; she could tell he was telling the truth. “I’m sorry, Neal,” she said and meant it this time. “How did he die?”

Neal shrugged. “Without the magic, his heart simply gave out.”

The image of Regina pulling out the Master’s heart and then pulverizing it between her fingers flashed through Emma’s mind. She briefly wondered if the same fate had happened to Rumple.

“And uh,” Neal lifted the strap of the messenger bag over his head and set it down in one of the chairs, “that’s what brings me here today.” He opened the flap and dug around in the bag eventually pulling out a long, black, rectangular box. “He wanted me to bring this to you.”

She cautiously accepted the box, realizing quickly it was heavier than it looked. It was cool to the touch and made of what she thought was solid onyx. There were no markings on it at all that she could see. “Uhm, okay. What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Open it.”

“Open it?” Emma looked at the solid black case again. She couldn’t see any latches or seams; she couldn’t see any break in the stone at all. “How?”

Neal laughed. “Use your magic, Ems.”

She huffed, hating the shortened version of her name that only he had ever used. She turned the box over in her hand one more time before concentrating on wanting to open it. She slid her open palm across the top of it, a sheen of magic ghosting across its smooth surface. A silver apple tree appeared inlaid on the stone’s surface and Emma almost dropped the box in surprise. Then she felt something within the box slip and it popped open a fraction of a centimeter.

Emma frowned but carefully lifted the lid, folding it open so she could easily see the black and silver dagger nestled inside on a cushion of black satin. Black markings decorated the blade near the hilt and at the tip, leaving the space inbetween free for the lettering that spelled out her aunt’s name. Emma felt her breath catch in her throat and she looked up at Neal. “Rumple had it all this time?”

He nodded. “I guess so.”

“He told her he didn’t have it,” she said. “He claimed it had disappeared, and that he didn’t know where it was.”

Neal shrugged and Emma had to admit she shouldn’t be too surprised. As long as Rumple had held the Dark One’s dagger, he’d been safe from Regina. As long as he’d held the dagger, he’d still had some power, although as far as she knew he’d never used it.

“And you’re just giving this to me?” she asked. “No strings attached?”

He closed the messenger bag and slung it back over his shoulder. “I’m not my dad, Emma. I never wanted anything to do with any of this magic crap. Still don’t.” He headed for the door. “Maybe, I’ll see you around.”

She looked up from her study of the dagger, belatedly realizing that he was leaving. “Wha- Yeah, okay,” she mumbled but then got to her feet and moved to the door of the study. “Neal!”

He turned back; Javier holding the front door open for him.

“Thank you.”

He grinned and nodded. “It’s good to see you, Ems. Take care of yourself.”

She walked back into the study and looked down at the dagger, still lying in its box on top of the desk. She traced her fingers over the beautiful lettering and felt the power tingle against her fingertips. An aching sensation blossomed in her chest as she finally lifted the blade and wrapped her hand around the hilt. She didn’t even have to say any words; the magic raced out from her touch and quickly rebounded in answer. She grinned. “Javier, you better put on some coffee. We’re about to have company.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things to know: The beginning section in italics is an excerpt taken from the end of the first story in this series just to set everything up. David and Snow named their second child, James. Snow and David are both werewolves. Regina has been the Dark One for three years and hasn't come home much during that time leaving Emma to look after her affairs.

** 3 Years After the Master’s Defeat **

_Emma was delaying going back to her study of spreadsheets detailing bar inventories and employee salaries. As she convinced herself to open the next email, she was saved by her phone whistling a cheery tune. Her mother was calling._

_“Emma?”_

_“Hi, Mom,” she said happy to have a reason to close out the spreadsheets. “Wha-?”_

_“James and Ruby are gone,” Snow said, talking over Emma in a rush. “They’re not with you, are they?”_

_“No, I haven’t seen them.” Emma frowned. “What do you mean they’re gone?”_

_“I didn’t think they would be, not with the others…but I’d hoped,” Snow said breathlessly, not finishing her thoughts. “No, she said they’re not with her. Why would they go there? Fine, I’ll ask her.”_

_Emma listened as her mother spoke to her dad without putting the phone down. “What others? What’s going on? Mom!”_

_“Sorry,” Snow said, her attention returning back to Emma. “What about Zelena? Could they be at her place?”_

_“Could who be at her place?” Emma asked. “What are you talking about?”_

_“Ruby, Thomas, and Mack are all missing.”_

_“Mom.” Missing felt like a kick to the gut. “That’s almost half the pack.”_

_“And your brother.”_

_Emma was on her feet. “All right, what do you mean by missing? Did they not come for dinner or have they not been seen in days?”_

_“I haven’t seen Thomas and Mack for a few days but that’s not unusual. Ruby and James never came home last night,” Snow said. “That’s not all. We’re hearing rumors that other wolves are going missing too.”_

_“But Mom, James isn’t a wolf.”_

_Snow hesitated. “If we were in a land with magic, he would be.”_

_Emma blinked. She hadn’t thought about it, but it was true she supposed. “Wait, what are you saying? Do you think-”_

_“I don’t know, Emma,” Snow said almost crying. “I don’t know if they left or if they’re lost. I don’t know if something happened to them, or if someone…”_

_She couldn’t finish the thought but Emma did. “Or if someone took them.” Silence was her mother’s only response. “Okay, let me get a few things together, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”_

_“Emma,” Snow said, “I think you should call her.”_

_The blonde froze halfway down the hallway, her heart thudding in her chest._

_“Emma, I know you don’t want to, but we don’t know what’s going on. She might,” Snow said when her daughter’s silence carried on for too long._

_“Mom, I can’t…it’s just not right,” Emma finally stuttered out._

_“If James is in trouble, if Ruby is in trouble, she’d want to help.”_

_Emma swallowed thickly. She knew her mother was right and she nodded. “All right.”_

_She slid the phone off and slowly made her way back to the library; she sat at the desk she had so recently vacated. She took a calming breath and built her magic in her palm, then moved her hand beneath the desk top. She slid her fingers along invisible locks that responded only to specific magic and triggered a release. A long, slim onyx box slid out from a well-crafted hiding space. It was cool to the touch as she cradled it and brought it up to the top of the desk._

_She shook out her magic and brought another spell to mind as she ran her hand over the top of the box. An apple tree insignia of pure silver inlaid to the onyx rippled into view. The magic recognized her and the latches for the box opened. She lifted the lid and reverently picked up the dagger from its bed of black satin._

_Emma ran her fingers over the name engraved on the blade. She wished she didn’t have to do this, but she gripped the hilt firmly in her hand. “Regina, Dark One, I summon thee.”_

Emma stood in the study; holding the dagger out in front of her, she waited. The magic buzz from the dagger was making her hand itch. She looked around the empty study and waited another few minutes. Her arm was getting tired. “Regina?”

She dropped her arm to her side and tapped the blade against her leg. This was the first time she had ever tried to actively call her aunt, and so far, she was underwhelmed with the response. She looked at the blade again. She could feel the magic coming from it; she knew it was active. “Dark One, appear,” she tried, hoping that didn’t actually work because she doubted Regina would appreciate the less formal command. “Dark One, return?”

The only other time she had touched the knife, Regina had felt it immediately and appeared without a word being said. But now she’d been holding it for a good fifteen minutes. Emma waved the dagger around, shaking it out. Was she supposed to have said some sort of incantation? It wasn’t like the dagger came with instructions. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. It had come with one instruction straight from Regina.

Use it in emergencies only.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure this counted as an emergency yet. She didn’t have enough facts yet to know just how worried she should be. Snow was worried. Three of the werewolves and Emma’s younger brother were allegedly missing. From what her mother had told her though, Ruby and James hadn’t even been missing an entire twenty-four hours yet. They just hadn’t come home the night before or shown up for work in the morning.

Okay, so maybe she was worried.

“Oh, come on, Regina!” she growled in frustration. “Show up, damn it.”

Nothing.

Well, it looked like she was taking a trip to Storybrooke. She thought about giving Zelena a call as she walked through the penthouse towards her bedroom so she could pack a bag. Maybe the witch could get her sister to respond to a summons better than she could. She dug her cell phone out of her jeans pocket, tucking the dagger underneath her arm as she pulled a duffel bag out of the closet, and punched in the number for her other aunt.

Her aunt’s phone was going to voice mail and Emma tossed the duffel onto her bed, heading for the bathroom to collect her toiletries. “Hey Z, it’s Emma. Snow called, and there might be a problem up in Storybrooke. I’m going to run up there to check it out.” She debated how much to tell her aunt in a message. “But I was wondering if you knew how to reach Regina. I tried summoning her, but – SHIT!!”

At the unexpected sight of someone standing in the middle of her bedroom, Emma dropped everything she was holding and had magic flaring to life in her palms before she realized it was only her aunt.

Regina stood there in a perfectly tailored black pants suit, her arms crossed over her chest; she cocked an eyebrow at Emma’s surprise. “ _You_ called _me_.” She watched the blonde lean back against the wall with a hand to her chest. “Idiot.”

“Jesus, Reg!” Emma snatched the phone up from the floor where she dropped it. “Never mind, Z, I found her.” She disconnected the call and threw the phone on the bed. “Would a little warning kill you, Reg? Maybe use the doorbell?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is still my penthouse, isn’t it?” the brunette snapped, her gaze tracking the dagger as Emma tossed it and her dropped toiletries on the bed.

“Maybe if you set foot in it more than once a year,” Emma grumbled as she reached under the bed for an escaped bottle of eye drops.

“I beg your pardon?” Regina had heard her perfectly and they both knew it.

Emma sat back on her heels, solution in hand. “What took you so long? I called for you like thirty minutes ago.”

“I was in Arendelle, if you must know, working on a deal when I felt you touch the dagger.” She ran her fingertips over the blade lying on the bed. “I assumed you weren’t just fondling it, and I concluded my business as quickly as I could. As soon as I came back into this realm, I responded.”

Emma felt a thrill of nerves in the bottom of her stomach when her aunt picked up the dagger. By Regina’s own request, Emma wasn’t supposed to let the Dark One have the dagger. They’d even made a deal for it. As long as Emma only used the dagger for emergencies, she would retain control of the blade. But now that she had called for Regina, did that mean they needed to make a new deal?

Regina turned the dagger over and over in her hands, relishing the feel of its magic welcoming her back. It didn’t like being locked up by another’s magic all the time. It whispered to Regina, telling her the dreams and desires of thousands of people in the city. There was so much power just waiting to be taken.

Emma cleared her throat. “So, uhm, I don’t know how much you overheard, but we may have a problem in Storybrooke. James and Ruby are missing.”

Regina didn’t even look up. “I think Miss Lucas is a bit old for your brother.”

“Not like that!” At least, Emma hoped not like that. She shuddered at the thought. “Three of the wolves are missing, and possibly others if the rumors from the Montreal pack are true.”

That got the brunette’s attention. “Anyone else?”

“Mom only mentioned-”

Regina tucked the dagger under her arm and pulled out her phone. “Call her back. Find out if it is just wolves that are missing or if anyone else is. Tell her to be certain.” She punched in a number. “When was the last time you talked to Zelena?”

“Uh, beginning of last week, I think.” Emma shifted uncomfortably. “Hey, uhm, Reg…”

The brunette looked over at her, phone still held to her ear. “Yes?”

“Can I…” she gestured towards Regina’s arm. “Can I, uhm, have the dagger back?”

A flash of dark irritation passed over Regina’s face before she glanced down to where she had the dagger pinned between her arm and her side. An emotion somewhere between surprise and confusion filled her eyes. “Yes…of course.” She grasped the blade’s hilt, bringing it in front of her body, the dark calligraphy of her name catching the light. Her breath caught in her throat as she admired the deceptively simple looking blade.

Movement broke her attention and the Dark One’s gaze snapped up, glaring at the blonde that had held the power of the dagger captive for years. How dare she ask for it again when she had done nothing to deserve it? The dagger wasn’t hers; it didn’t _belong_ to her.

“Regina.” Emma had taken one step towards her aunt and frozen. She’d only slightly extended her hand to accept the dagger when the hate filled gaze landed on her. Fire ignited in her belly and she felt her fangs descend; saliva pooled in her mouth at the promise of impending bloodshed.

The phone in Regina’s hand let out a shrill tone announcing Zelena’s voicemail and shattering the silence filling the bed room.

Regina gasped and took a step backwards. Emma’s coiled muscles relaxed and she stumbled slightly against the side of the bed. She gave her head a hard shake and looked up to her aunt who blinked several times before glancing down at the dagger she still held in her hand. She tossed the knife onto the bed, recoiling as though it had burned her.

Emma leaned away from it, too; she was in no hurry to touch the dark object. “ _What_ was that?”

Regina acted like an embarrassed cat, wiping her hands off against her thighs before turning her attention back to her phone and vigorously tapping out a message on it. “Dark One energy,” she said, never looking up from her phone. “It was reacting to my touch.”

The blonde pressed her hand to her suddenly nauseous stomach. “Yeah, okay, but why did I suddenly want to…” she grimaced at some of the thoughts that had burned through her mind, “bathe in your blood?”

“Dark One. Energy,” Regina repeated, glaring at her phone’s screen before finally shutting it off and straightening her shoulders. “I usually have better control over it, but the dagger must’ve triggered a release.” She finally looked Emma over, her brown eyes offering the apology she’d never say. “Zelena isn’t answering her phone.”

“Yeah, I know. I tried earlier,” Emma said, trying to keep up with the change in conversation. Apparently, they were not going to discuss how close they had just come to almost ripping each other’s throats out.  

Regina huffed. “Pack your bag. We may be gone for a few days. I’ll call Snow and get some more details on these disappearances.”

Emma watched as her aunt spun on her heel and left the room. She glanced around as though the walls and furniture would offer her a better explanation of what had just happened. Her gaze fell on the Dark One’s dagger lying innocuously on the bedspread. “Seriously?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tagged the relationship in this story as Regina & Emma not Regina/Emma. They are the two main characters but Emma was raised by Regina and Zelena so there won't be any romance between the ladies. If you want to know how and why Emma was raised by the two sisters, that's all explained in the previous story of this series which I'd love for you to read.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma had been a vampire for three and a half years. She knew and understood that while she was not immortal, her body was pretty sturdy. There were relative few things that could seriously harm or injure her that she could not recover from. Despite that knowledge, when the car she was traveling in pulled to a stop in front of Zelena’s home, she had to resist the very strong urge to throw herself from the vehicle and kiss the ground.

Regina’s love of driving fast had not waned in her years as the Dark One.

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit overdramatic?” Regina asked, circling the back of the car, her hand trailing appreciatively over the smooth lines of the sleek black performance vehicle.

Emma glared at her and pulled herself up from the passenger seat, hoping her legs had recovered enough to support her. “I don’t know. Don’t you think driving ninety miles in forty-five minutes calls for a bit of dramatics?”

“Nonsense. I regularly make the trip in an hour.” She patted the roof of the car. “I’ve never owned a Jag before. I think I’ll keep it.” She turned towards the front door of the mansion. “You coming?”

They were still three feet from the door when Regina stiffened, her arm reaching out to stop Emma from moving past her.

Emma caught the scent too. “Blood.”

Glass crunched beneath the heel of Regina’s boot as she moved towards the front door. All the glasswork that had edged the frame was blown out and the door itself stood ajar.

The blonde felt her fangs descend and she pushed outwards with her heightened senses, reading the area as best she could. Regina didn’t show any changes in her physical appearance, but Emma could feel the magic building inside her.

The front door swung open with a wave of Regina’s hand, scraping over debris scattered across the floor. Emma followed behind her. The foyer and grand entrance of Zelena’s mansion were in shambles. The few items she’d had on display were in pieces with shelves broken or knocked over. Paintings were either hanging crookedly on the wall or had fallen completely to the floor. The chandelier lay shattered at the foot of the grand staircase.

“Did Z accidentally let one of her tornadoes loose in here or what?” Emma joked grimly, her eyes trying to take in all of the destruction.

“This wasn’t her,” Regina said, either missing or ignoring the rhetorical nature of the blonde’s attempt at levity. She held her palm out towards the center of the room. “I don’t feel her magic in this at all. I don’t think she was even here.”

“She’s probably on one of her trips to Oz.” Emma sniffed the air again and followed her nose towards the study. She hesitated before opening the room, the scent of blood was definitely emanating from behind the closed doors. She felt Regina’s attention on her and looked back over her shoulder.

The brunette was watching her. Her chin tilted slightly upwards. “The scent isn’t fresh. There’s no one alive in there.”

So, Emma wasn’t imagining the hint of decay she detected in the blood. “I’m feeling really glad Claude decided to retire last year.”

She opened the door, and despite telling herself to be ready for anything, she still gagged at the macabre sight the room presented. Zelena had employed six people, two gardeners, a cook, a maid, a butler, and a chauffeur. Based on a quick scan of the room before she looked away, Emma figured all six of them were in there.

“These people did not die easily,” Regina commented quietly, walking further into the study.

Emma hadn’t seen or heard her approach. She also didn’t want to step foot inside the room much less inspect it like Regina seemed to be doing. When the Dark One knelt beside the chauffeur and peeled back his torn and bloodied shirt, Emma cringed. “Aw, come on Regina, don’t do that.”

The older woman ignored her squeamishness. “His chest was ripped apart; these are claw marks.”

She didn’t want to know but asked anyway, “Like werewolf claws or something else with claws?”

“The wolves usually use their teeth more,” Regina said and gestured towards the woman sprawled across the chaise. “The way her throat was torn out, I can definitely conclude werewolf.”

Emma didn’t look. The maid, Amelia, had worked for Z the past seven years. She hadn’t been around when Emma had been a child, but she still knew the woman. “Who did this?”

“I’m not sure.” Regina straightened and stepped around the couch to the two bodies behind it, the gardeners. “Emil’s neck is broken, no blood at all.” She examined the second man. “Same with Alfredo’s.”

“They were brothers,” Emma offered quietly.

Regina looked up at her and some of the cool veneer slipped away. “I know,” she said. “I recommended them.”

“You did?” Emma asked, surprised although she wasn’t sure why. And it clearly didn’t matter. “Why would someone do this? Why leave them…displayed like this?”

“I’d think the answer to that is obvious. Whoever did this wanted Zelena to find them and send her a very clear message.” The brunette slipped her phone from her pocket and began typing out a text.

“But… _why_? I mean, are they pissed Z wasn’t here or did they _intend_ to do this while she was away?”

“What concerns me more is whether or not his has anything to do with our missing wolves,” Regina said, standing near the threshold and looking the room over once again. Her phone vibrated with a notification. She checked it, replied, and then pocketed her phone. “Come on, we’re not going to get any of our answers standing over the dead.”

“I know…wait, what?” Emma reached back and hastily closed the doors to the study as her aunt walked towards the front door. “Regina, we can’t just leave them like this!”

The older woman kept walking. “I’ve taken care of it. The scene will be documented and the victims will be handled respectfully.”

Emma hustled to catch up, slipping on chandelier shards before ungracefully catching her balance using the door. She shrugged off her aunt’s look of exasperation. “Who did you call?” Her brow furrowed. “You didn’t call the cops, did you?” How would they explain this to the police?

Regina exhaled a puff of air that easily conveyed her disdain. “The police are not equipped to handle a scene like this.” She circled the front of the Jag. “I have a crew that will take care of it. Now let’s go.”

“You have a… Do I even want to know why you have a crew that can handle something like this?” Emma asked, climbing back into the passenger seat. Regina ignored her and Emma assumed the answer fell under the category of ‘Dark One Things She Didn’t Need to Know’. Her stomach lurched as Regina accelerated down the long drive. “Where are we going now?”

“Back to the city. We need answers.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Why exactly are we here?” Emma punched in her code to open the doors to The Vorpal Room. It was one of two prestigious night clubs that Regina owned in the heart of downtown. The third establishment she owned was much more on the dive side of things. Emma had been overseeing the management of all three since her aunt had taken on the Dark One mantle.

Regina swept in past the blonde. “I told you; we need answers.”

“Yeah, I know, but you expect to find them here?”

The older woman hummed noncommittally as they walked into the club proper. It was only four in the afternoon and not officially open, but Emma saw Simon, the manager, sitting at a small booth near the main floor preparing for the evening.

“We’re not open-” he started in surprise. “Miss Swan! I thought you said you weren’t coming by this week.”

She thought about the hasty email she had sent out while she’d been waiting on Regina to answer the dagger’s call. “Yeah, uh, plans changed.” She glanced over her shoulder expecting to see her aunt behind her. “We had a couple of…” She stopped and spun around as she realized the brunette was nowhere in sight. “Regina?”

“When I said we needed to speak to the manager, I didn’t mean _him_ ,” Regina said, her voice floating over from the darkened shadows of the bar.

“Miss Mills,” Simon stuttered out, quickly sliding out of the booth and getting to his feet. “It’s g-good to see you.”

Emma let out a stunned laugh as Simon literally bowed in Regina’s direction. “Seriously?!”

He barely glanced at Emma, keeping his attention on Regina. “How may I be of service?”

Regina waved off his formalities. “Jefferson,” she said. “Where is he?”

“I believe he’s still asleep. Shall I wake him?”

“Yes.” Regina smirked. “Tell him his _queen_ requires his presence.”

“Of course, Miss Mills, right away.” Simon bowed again then straightened. “Miss Swan,” he barely tipped his head towards her before quickly scurrying towards the elevators.

Emma threw her hands up, walking towards the bar. “What the hell was that?”

“A simple reminder to the peasantry.” Regina chuckled darkly and pushed a glass across the bar towards Emma. “Here, try this.”

The blonde leaned away from it. With her vampire constitution, she could drink pretty much anything she wanted, but given her dark history, she still preferred to stay away from her past vices. “Regina, maybe you forgot, but I don’t drink anymore.”

The older woman rolled her eyes. “I didn’t forget. Just,” she gestured to the glass, “try it.”

Emma eyed the blacked-out bottle in her aunt’s hand warily and sniffed the dark contents in her glass. She jerked back even as her mouth watered. “They have blood behind the bar?”

“Mhmmm,” Regina hummed, pouring herself a drink from a similar bottle with a gold label.

Emma sipped the drink and practically melted onto the stool beside her. “Oh. My. God.” She drank again, forcing herself not to gulp the savory liquid. “Regina. What is this?” She rolled the thick liquid around in the glass. “It tastes like…”

“Chocolate infused blood. I assumed that would be your preference.” She sipped from her own glass and released a deep sigh. “Now that’s more like it.”

“What’s yours?”

“Bourbon infused.”

Emma emptied her glass and pushed it forward. “Fill me up.”

Regina chuckled darkly and capped the golden bottle. “I don’t think so.”

“Re-gi-na,” the blonde whined.

The brunette scoffed. “That face stopped working on me when you were eight, and I let you convince me you could handle eating two more donuts.”

“And I spent the night throwing up,” Emma said, slumping back onto her seat. She looked back up smirking. “You know it wasn’t the two donuts you let me have, right?”

“I know,” she said, tipping her glass back. “It was the four you snuck when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

Emma chuckled. A week later, Claude had been shocked and confused when he’d offered to sneak her a donut and she’d run from the room. But she didn’t want to think about Claude or the people that had unfortunately still worked for Zelena. She sighed when she realized she was going to have to call him and tell him what happened.

Trying not to think about it, she absently ran her finger along the rim of her glass and licked off the remainder of her drink. She couldn’t believe they kept something like that behind the bar. What kind of club was Regina, and by proxy herself, running? The more she thought about it, the more she frowned. “Why do you want to talk to Jefferson?”

The darker woman frowned. “Because he’s my manager for this club.”

“Manager?” Emma scoffed. “Jefferson can barely keep the bar in order.” She waved a hand where her aunt was standing. “Simon is the operations manager. He’s the one that keeps this place running.”

“Mr. Montgomery is good with numbers; he keeps the books and inventories straight. That’s all,” Regina explained. “He’s not the manager.”

Before Emma could respond there was a loud crash from behind the doors leading to the kitchen seconds before they swung open and a very disheveled Jefferson skid into view. He quickly straightened at the sight of the two of them and formally bowed at the waist. “Your Majesty.” He stood back up and ran a hand through his thick head of hair. “How may I be of service?”

Emma held up a hand. “Whoa, wait a minute.” She looked incredulously between the two brunettes. “You’re from over there?”

Jefferson shrugged sheepishly and Regina smirked. “Emma, meet the Mad Hatter.”


	4. Chapter 4

Ten minutes later found the three of them situated in a booth. Jefferson looked exceptionally more put together, his scarf tied impeccably back around his throat and his eyes less manic. Regina sipped a cup of coffee as if it were any other day at the office, and Emma was more confused than ever.

“You’re telling me that for the last three years, I’ve been meeting with the _wrong_ manager?”

“Not necessarily.” Regina shrugged. “I asked you to keep the clubs up to code and keep an eye on the books. That’s what Mr. Montgomery is here for, and the two of you have a done a perfectly acceptable job.”

Emma looked across the bar at Simon who was wisely keeping himself out of the conversation. She was really beginning to regret giving up alcohol. It was the one thing that might have made the situation more understandable. “Then what exactly is Jefferson’s job?”

The man in question and the Dark One exchanged a look. “He keeps the club running.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed at the evasive answer. “Uh huh. Right. And, uh, what exactly does that entail?”

“We have a very exclusive clientele here,” Jefferson started, clearing his throat. “I ensure they’re satisfied with their visit.”

“Exclusive clientele,” Emma repeated.

“We keep blood behind the bar, Emma.” Regina released an exasperated sigh. “What kind of clientele do you think we have?”

Green eyes widened almost comically. “This is a vampire bar?!”

Jefferson shrugged. “Not exclusively.”

“We serve all of the magical community and those who are aware of the community,” Simon chimed in, offering the party line.

“You _knew_?” Emma growled, not feeling the least bit bad about it when she felt the man’s fear jump into a pulse pounding rhythm.

“Of course, he knows,” Jefferson waved off her outrage. “He’s a thrall.”

“A what now?”

“Simon’s husband is a vampire,” Regina offered the information like a life line. “Simon is his thrall, his main source of blood.” She held up a hand when Emma immediately started to protest. “It’s a completely mutual relationship. They love each other.”

The blonde gave up. “Fine. Whatever,” she grumbled, throwing Simon another angry look. “Can we just get on with why we came here?”

Jefferson straightened up, his eyes brightening. “Yes, my Queen, how can I help?”

“Fight clubs, Jefferson,” Regina said simply. “What do you know about them?”

He smirked, his inner devil getting the better of him. “Well, the first rule of fight club is-”

“Don’t.”

Regina tried to cut him off before he could finish, but Emma grinned and finished the line. “You do not talk about fight club.”

“Second rule of fight club is-”

“Children!” Regina snapped, her patience gone. “Need I remind you that people we care about are in danger and the two of you are quoting movie lines at each other.”

Emma sobered at the reminder. It was nice to have finally found a piece of common ground with the eccentric barkeep, but Regina was right. She cleared her throat and sat up straighter. “So, fight clubs? That’s what you think is going on?”

Regina deferred. “It’s happened before. The same sort of disappearances of magical creatures. Wolves especially are attractive prospects for those running the fights.”

Emma had to admit it made a certain kind of sense. The pack always did like to fight. But it didn’t really seem like something her brother, or Ruby for that matter, would do. “I don’t know, Reg. I don’t think Ruby and James went off and joined this supernatural fight club thing without telling anyone. Ruby has always been more of the lover-not-a-fighter persuasion.”

Regina held Emma’s gaze. “I’m not suggesting they joined it willingly. These things have a way of needing more fighters than they have volunteers. As a powerful witch, Zelena would also have been quite the draw for a fight.”

“Oh.” Emma’s stomach turned at the all too recent memory of the carnage left at Zelena’s mansion. Although, she knew the red head could take care of herself she was relieved she hadn’t been at home. The thought of Ruby or her little brother being similarly taken or being forced into a ring to fight against their will was enough to make her nauseous. “Couldn’t they just refuse to fight?”

“There are many ways to motivate people, Emma. Fear of a worse fate for yourself or someone you care about if you do not fight is a powerful tool of persuasion,” Regina explained succinctly before turning her attention back to the Hatter. “Jefferson?”

Jefferson adjusted his scarf and swallowed as the Dark One leveled him with a glare. “Uhm, what did you want to know?”

She spelled it out for him even though she knew he’d been listening. “Several people from our community have gone missing. Have you heard anything about a new fight club recruiting in the area?”

“Now that you mention it, I have heard rumors,” Jefferson admitted. “I mean there’s always talk, but perhaps lately it has been a bit more frequent. People talking about this fight or that fight. I didn’t give it much thought, and given our reputation the talk was usually quieted pretty quickly.”

“Reputation?” Emma asked.

“The Vorpal Room is a sanctuary,” Regina explained tightly. “I’d never allow the sort of activity or socialization that fight clubs require into this club.”

“We’re like Rick’s in Casablanca,” Jefferson offered.

“Keep the war outside,” Emma said, nodding. “Got it.”

The hatter saluted with his glass before returning his attention to his queen. “As much as I hate to admit it, if the fights are back up and running, I’m not the person you should be asking.”

Regina’s head cocked to the side as she thought about it. “You’re right.” She stood. “Come on, Emma, we’re leaving. Jefferson. Mister Montgomery, thank you for your time.”

Emma moved out of the booth, throwing a quick wave to the guys as she hurried after her aunt. “Where are we going now?”

Regina smirked. “The Dragon’s Lair.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was early evening but already dark by the time they reached the rough and tumble biker bar that Regina owned on the lower East side. The sleek Jaguar that Regina had insisted on driving looked horribly out of place as she pulled it smoothly into the bar’s parking lot. Luckily the lot wasn’t crowded yet, but Emma knew more bikes would be rolling in over the next couple of hours. She felt sorry for the poor fool that put a scratch on Regina’s new toy.

A few guys Emma hadn’t seen before were standing outside near their bikes, smoking. Their eyes collectively watched Regina as she strode confidently towards the bar’s front entrance. They didn’t make any obvious catcalls but Emma easily heard the comments passed between the men as she walked a step or two behind her aunt. And if she was able to hear them, she knew Regina had. It hardly even surprised her when she heard a crunch of metal and a shout of alarm behind her.

“Let him try and ride that,” Regina said, pulling open the door. Emma glanced over her shoulder and saw two of the men’s bikes now laying on their sides in the lot; she chuckled and followed the brunette inside.

Emma was immediately hit with the scent of stale beer and the sweet, warm tickle of whiskey. An old Black Sabbath song spilled through the speakers accompanied by the strike of pool balls hitting against each other. Thankfully, the kitchen wasn’t overheated yet adding the scent of hot grease to the ambience. Before she could ask Regina who it was, in particular, that they wanted to talk to, there was a loud shout.

“Who the fuck is this walking into my bar?”

Emma could’ve sworn she heard the scratch of a needle against a record as the yell from behind the bar cut across the room. Regina stopped short in front of her and Emma barely kept herself from colliding into her back. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed the guys at the pool table had all straightened; their attention on the game forgotten in lieu of the bartender’s call to action. In fact, every eye in the place was now on them.

“ _Your_ bar?” Regina snapped back, a cruel smirk firmly in place. “Hardly. You’re just a glorified busboy, wiping down glasses instead of tables.”

The bartender, Mitch, threw down the towel he’d been holding and stalked out from behind the bar. “You’ve got a hell of a lot of nerve walking in here like you own the place, Mills.”

Emma heard the snick of a knife being flicked out from somewhere behind her as Mitch and Regina squared off. She subtly bumped her aunt’s shoulder and was ignored for her efforts. Emma hoped that Regina and Mitch were just posturing with each other, but based on the looks she was receiving from the pool table crew, no one else knew who Regina was. Even the old woman that was a permanent fixture at the corner of the bar was glaring in their direction.

“Oh, but I _do_ own the place, _Rivers_ ,” Regina sneered, “or has that imbecilic, small brain of yours forgotten that?”

Two more patrons sitting at a corner table pushed to their feet; the larger of the two moved his hand to towards the small of his back. Emma groaned. She really didn’t feel like getting stabbed or shot tonight; she was wearing a new white shirt.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have forgotten,” Mitch Rivers rallied back, “if you’d bothered to make an appearance sometime in the last three years.”

Emma half-shrugged; she really couldn’t fault him for that comment when she’d had similar thoughts herself. Would it really have been so hard to pick up the phone once in a while?

“It almost sounds like you missed me,” Regina snarked, her tone filled with mock sympathy.

“Nah,” Mitch sneered. “Nobody misses a bitch when they leave.”

There was a ripple of laughter from the patrons and Emma grimaced, closing her eyes. There was no way they were going to be able to get out of the situation without bloodshed after that comment. It was for that reason that Emma’s squawk of alarm was louder than Regina’s when Mitch lunged forward, wrapped his arms around the brunette’s waist and lifted her off the ground.

“Where the fuck you been?” Mitch laughed and actually spun in a circle before dropping a laughing Regina back to her feet. “We fucking missed you around here!”

Emma felt her jaw drop open in shock as she watched her aunt playfully slap the bartender’s shoulder. She blinked and then looked around to make sure she wasn’t the only one that was shocked, but the pool table crew had already returned to their game, and the big guy in the corner was laughing as he retook his seat. Emma spun back around to find herself alone. “Reg-?”

“Swan, get over here!” Mitch called from behind the bar as he poured a row of shots in front of Regina. “I’ll get your cherry coke going in a second.”

Emma eyed the row of ten shot-glasses as she slumped onto a bar stool. Five of the glasses were in front of Mitch, five were in front of Regina, and each were filled with a different liquor. “What are you doing?”

Regina pushed back her sleeves. “Racing.”

It was all the answer Emma got before the two squared off and on a count of three began slamming back shots. It was over in seconds and Regina had won by finishing her fifth as Mitch was reaching for his. Emma watched in continued amazement as her aunt smacked her lips and Mitch swore, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.

Regina reached for a bar napkin and patted her lips. “You lose. Again.” She held her hand out palm up. “Pay up.”

“I swear to Christ, Mills.” Mitch fetched his wallet from beneath the bar and pulled all the cash from inside it, slapping it onto Regina’s waiting hand. “You aren’t fucking human.”

“I keep telling him that.” Regina winked at Emma before folding the bills over each other and tucking them down the front of her shirt. She turned back to Mitch. “But he never believes me.”

“One day,” he swore, throwing cherries rather violently into a glass before filling it with coke. He slid it over to Emma. “She’s the only person to ever beat me. I can’t just let that stand.”

“Mm-hmm.” Emma kept her jaw clenched tight as she nodded supportively at him. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

Mitch gave his head a hard shake. “It’s going to be a long night.” He walked towards the kitchen, patting Regina’s arm as he moved past. “Glad to have you back.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Emma hissed, “Seriously?!”

“What?” Regina laughed. “He’s the one that instigates it.”

“You have a freaking magical constitution. Literally! That’s completely unfair.”

“I _am_ the Dark One.”

“You cannot keep taking that poor guy’s money.”

Regina fluffed her hair, then moved behind the bar and began fixing a drink. “Be thankful I’m not making deals for his first born.”

The blonde shook her head and sighed. “Well, if he doesn’t know about you, why would he know anything about supernatural fight clubs?”

“Oh, we’re not here to talk to him.” She topped off a shot glass with a bit of 151.

Emma frowned, completing a quick mental check of the people currently in the bar. “Then who are we going to ask?”

Regina flicked the glass, lighting it on fire with her magic before setting it down in front of the old barfly sitting at the corner. She grinned over the flames at the old woman. “Hello, Mal.”


	5. Chapter 5

Emma watched as time weathered fingers played nimbly through the flames topping the shot glass before curling around it and downing the contents. Emma opened her mouth to shout a warning but as the shot disappeared so did a shimmer of magic surrounding the old barfly. In the place of the old crone sat a statuesque blonde with striking blue eyes. She rolled the empty shot glass between her fingers.

“It’s been a long time, Regina.”

The brunette raised an eyebrow. “Ah, but has it been long enough?”

“ _That_ remains to be seen.” She pushed the empty shot glass towards the Dark One clearly expecting a refill.

Regina happily obliged and poured another shot. “Fire?”

Mal side-eyed Emma. “I believe the Savior was trying to warn me that fire wasn’t safe.” Regina snorted and flicked the glass, lighting it up.

Emma unconsciously leaned forward, eyes narrowing as she watched Mal suck in the flames and the alcohol. She jerked back when the older blonde exhaled smoke through her nose. Regina was smirking and Emma frowned at both of them. “What the hell?”

“Emma,” Regina gestured towards the older blonde, “meet my dear friend, Maleficent.”

“Maleficent?” Emma didn’t even know why she was surprised at this point. “The Mistress of all Evil is a New York barfly?”

“Hardly.” Maleficent looked disgusted. “I’m just helping Regina out by keeping an eye on the place; I’m not suffering under a curse for her.”

“But you’re here all the time or, at least, every time I’ve been here.”

Mal frowned at her in confusion for a moment. “Oh, you mean Mags.” She pointed to a back booth of the bar. Emma could just barely make out the figure of the old woman that usually perched at the corner of the bar. “Yes, she practically lives here. Prefers the ambience here to the retirement home break room.”

Emma was utterly confused; it was becoming quite the normal sensation. “So, what? She just lets you use her appearance?”

Mal rolled her eyes. “To her I look like someone else. Someone else that pays her well to stay in the back booth until I leave.”

“Uh huh. And how often do you do this?”

The older blonde shrugged. “Often enough or when the energy gets a little rough.”

“If it starts getting too rowdy in here, the bartenders give Mal a call to come in,” Regina tried explaining. “She calms things down.” She turned her attention back to the older blonde. “Speaking of, where is Lily?”

As though the sound of her name summoned her, the brunette woman that helped Mitch tend the bar popped her head out of the kitchen. “Aunt Gina?” She strode over to the older brunette and gave her a hug. “Holy shit, it’s been awhile.” She stepped back and chuckled. “This explains why Mitch is hammered so early in the evening. Oh hey, Emma.”

Emma gave a half-wave before dropping her head in her hand. She gave up. She was going to just sit at the bar and enjoy her cherry coke. Maybe think about the good ole days before she was a vampire and people were simply trying to kill her in order to break a magical curse.

Lily pointed at Maleficent. “You owe me a hundred bucks.”

“What’s this?” Regina asked, intrigued.

“You disappoint me, Savior,” Mal commented dryly, handing over a crisp hundred-dollar bill to Lily. “Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of investigator?”

Lily pocketed the money and turned to Regina. “Mom bet me Emma knew who she was and was just playing it cool.”

Emma almost spit her coke out across the bar. “That’s your mother?!”

“But I knew she was clueless,” Lily laughed.

“Hey!”

Regina leaned forward and dropped another cherry into Emma’s coke. “It’s okay, dear,” she winked at the blonde, “you came into the game late.”

“Like a babe in the woods,” Mal muttered.

“All right. You know what?” Emma got to her feet. “I’m about done with this. Can we just move on to why we came here?”

All three women looked at her with completely unimpressed expressions. Mal cleared her throat and returned her attention to the Dark One. “Yes, Regina, what brings you by?”

Regina sobered. She’d been enjoying the banter, but Emma had a point. “I need some information, Mal.”

“Regarding what subject?”

“Fight clubs,” Regina said, watching her old friend closely. “The supernatural variety.” She snapped her fingers out to her side. “No, you stay, too.”

Lily had been trying to slink away and hadn’t quite made good on her escape. She sighed and leaned back against the bar.

Maleficent’s blue eyes held Regina’s dark, steely gaze. “What makes you think I’d know anything about that?”

“Because we both know you aren’t quite the reformed, proper woman you present yourself to be these days.” Regina leaned forward on the bar. “Because a little blood sport is just the sort of thing to sate that leashed dragon of yours. Because I am the Dark One and I know things you _never_ wanted me to know.”

Mal traced a finger around the rim of her empty glass. “What is it you want to know?”

“When and where and who’s running the fights?”

The older blonde’s gaze tracked quickly over to her daughter and back to Regina. “They started back up two weeks ago. The locations change every night. I’ve only gone to a few,” she admitted. “I don’t know who is running them; I haven’t met him. I only know they refer to him as ‘doctor’.”

“When’s the next match?”

“I don’t know.” Mal held up a hand when she felt Regina’s magic build up. “I didn’t go to the last one. I was hoping to find out tonight the details for the next fight.”

Regina didn’t take her focus off Mal. “What about you, Lily? What do you know?”

The bartender shrugged. “Nothing different from what Mom just told you.”

The lie pinged off Emma’s bullshit detector hard enough to make her sit up straight. Regina heard it also and slowly turned to eye Maleficent’s child.

“Ruby is missing,” Emma said, jumping in before Regina could light into the younger brunette.

Lily straightened away from the bar. “What?”

Emma knew Ruby and Lily had hit it off when she’d introduced them. She highly suspected they’d hooked up more than once when Ruby visited the city. “Yeah. And my little brother. We think it might have something to do with this fight club bullshit.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Ruby isn’t a fighter.”

“We don’t believe she’s there by her own choice, Miss Page.”

“You mean…” A glow of magic flashed in Lily’s eyes and she growled, “The next fight is tomorrow night. I can get you in.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“The fights are held in a parking garage?” Emma asked as the three women headed towards the far corner of a building she wouldn’t have set foot in when she was a mere human.

It was dark and unlit with only a few dust covered, stripped down cars scattered around the many floors. They’d parked their own vehicle several blocks away and walked in the shadows to the entrance. If they were normal women, they were in the absolute last place they’d ever want to be. A derelict building with few lights, no security, and they were headed towards a darkened stairwell.

“Beneath it,” Lily answered. “There’s a whole other city beneath the city. Besides,” she gestured to the graffitied and neglected structure, “you really think anyone is going to come looking through here too hard.”

Regina raised an eyebrow but remained silent as they descended the staircase. It was only when they reached the bottom floor and stepped off the staircase that they could hear signs of life. Mingled shouts and the sounds of a crowded room were filtering out from the end of the darkened landing. Lily tilted her head towards it and they followed her over.

“Remember what I told you,” Regina said, her voice low enough that Emma could only hear it because of her heightened senses. “Offer no more than you have to about yourself. In a place like this, any scrap of information is power.”

Emma nodded and pulled her jacket tighter around her body. The weight of the Dark One’s dagger pressed against her ribs. She hadn’t wanted to bring it, especially to a place like this, but for some reason Regina had insisted.

The sounds of a lively club were growing louder until Emma felt the tingle of a magic barrier as they moved past a crumbling column. Regina inhaled sharply at the magic but gave her head a minute shake when Emma opened her mouth to question her. They were no longer alone. A tunnel entrance leading to the makeshift club was now visible in front of them. It was flanked by two beefy bouncers and a bored looking teenager slouched behind a small table, playing on a phone.

Lily bobbed her head in greeting. “Guys.”

“These aren’t your usual guests, Page,” bouncer on the left commented, shifting his weight slightly to prevent Lily moving past him. He spoke to her but his gaze was studying Emma and Regina.

“Yeah, so?” the bartender questioned. “You keeping a logbook or something?”

“Who are they?” he asked.

“None of your concern,” Regina snapped.

“They’re with me,” Lily said, voice hardening. “That’s all you need to worry about.”

“I can practically smell the magic on this one,” he said, chin jutting towards Regina.

Regina took a step forward but Lily moved in front of her, thumping the guy in the chest, forcing him to stagger back an unexpected step. “Back off, Hal.” She let the dragon rise in her eyes. “These women are my guests. Show some fucking respect.”

The bouncer on the right snorted. “Let ‘em pass. If they fuck up, it’s on her.” He smirked. “Page knows the rules.”

“Yeah,” Lily said, bringing herself back down, “I do.”

Hal glowered but stepped off to the side, allowing them entrance. The kid never looked up from his game, earbuds jammed in place, and held up three betting sheets as they passed.

“What are the rules?” Emma asked, trying to make sense of the sheet as they walked.

“Her life is forfeit if we cause trouble,” Regina said. “Given her heritage, it’s likely they’d force her into servitude and she’d be yet another fighter.”

Lily shrugged it off as they pushed through the crowd gathered by the door. “There are worse ways to go.” She turned slowly and nodded towards the bar. “You guys good here? I wasn’t actually planning on babysitting tonight.”

Emma followed Lily’s gaze to a trio of people watching them. “Friends of yours?”

“They will be by the end of the night,” Lily laughed. “I might have plans later. I assume the two of you can find your own way home.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Miss Page,” Regina said, eyeing the crowd. “We will be on our best behavior.”

“Yeah, I’d appreciate that.” She slapped Emma on the shoulder. “Take it easy, Swan.”

Emma watched Lily easily navigate the crowd and then surveyed the large underground space. The entirety of the space operated around a giant rounded cage in the middle of the floor. Music pumped out of unseen speakers and based on the crowds of people, there were at least two bars operating on opposite sides of the space. There was also an upper level that didn’t seem to be open to the public but had several security guys milling around and one corner area lit up with seating that Emma couldn’t quite see.

“I guess our guy is going to be up there,” she said, indicating the upper seating area with a nod of her head.

“Our _guy_?” Regina asked.

“Yeah, the doctor or whoever the hell he is.”

“Emma, we aren’t here for him.” She moved toward the fighting cage as she talked, the crowd instinctually moving away from her until she had a ringside view. “We are here to determine if our family members are here and if they are being forced to fight.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No, Emma.” She surveyed the ring and then faced the blonde. “Do not let those Savior remnants get you into trouble.” She scanned the crowd over Emma’s shoulder. “That being said, if the magical user that put that barrier up outside knew what they were doing, they were made aware of my presence as soon as I crossed it. It is entirely likely that whoever this ‘doctor’ is, we will rate an introduction.”

“What? Why?” At her aunt’s long-suffering stare, Emma caught on. “Oh. Right. Cause you’re the Dark One.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re kind of a big deal with this crowd, I guess.”

Regina smirked. “Yes, dear, I am a big deal.” The smirk faded. “And I think I see our welcoming committee approaching now.”

Emma turned around to see a tall dark-skinned woman in a tailored three-piece suit walking towards them. She was flanked by two guards that looked like they were trying to be secret service. The same way the crowd parted for Regina, this woman had no problem making her way across the floor. She stopped a few steps short of them and inclined her head towards Regina.

“Welcome, Dark One. My name is Milaje.” She paused; Regina tipped her head in greeting. “The Doctor extends his personal invitation for you to join him on the upper levels.” She looked Emma over, acknowledging her for the first time. “Your companion is also invited. Of course.”

“Of course,” Regina repeated. “I would be happy to accept your master’s invitation.” She smirked at the woman’s slight flinch and then gestured with a roll of her wrist. “Lead the way.”

Emma fell in step behind Regina and felt the two guards at her back. They made their way across the club floor and up a spiral staircase that had been concealed by magic until Milaje set foot on it. Emma had about a hundred questions racing through her mind, but heeding Regina’s earlier advice she held her tongue. Asking questions revealed what you didn’t know and even though she knew nothing, Emma preferred not to confirm that point for others.

The upper level was as extravagant as any luxury suite in a major sports stadium. It had its own buffet laid out against the wall, two servers, a large flat screen, and overstuffed leather arm chairs. A group of five people were gathered in a loose circle chatting when they walked up.

Emma knew the exact moment their presence was detected. The group fell silent, four of them all looking to the man who had his back to them. He straightened, his very broad shoulders tightening as he slowly turned around to face them.

A smirk played across his scarred visage. “Regina. So good of you to visit.”

The Dark One offered a cold smile in greeting. “Mister Hyde.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shoutout to the Hunger Games and Black Panther universes. Kudos to you if you caught the references.


	6. Chapter 6

“So. You’re the alleged ‘doctor’ I keep hearing about,” Regina surmised.

He spread his hands out to his sides. “A play on expectations, if you will.”

“Cute.”

Emma’s breath caught in her chest. In two fucked up days she’d met the Mad Hatter, Maleficent, and now Mister Hyde. And not only was Hyde the proprietor of the fight clubs, but apparently, he and Regina knew each other. Not that their greetings were what she would call cordial.

“And who might this be?”

Hyde’s rough voice interrupted Emma’s musings as his dark gaze slid over her like oil across water.

“No one of consequence.” Regina’s eyes had gone as hard as his.

The thin line of his mouth pulled up at one corner, his shoulders squaring to Emma. She stiffened as he inhaled deeply and then exhaled a mist of magic from his mouth. “I beg to differ.” His eyes never left Emma’s. “Introduce us, Dark One. What’s her name?”

The blonde caught the slight nod from Regina. Her chin tilted upwards. “Emma.”

“Em-ma,” Hyde repeated, the tip of his tongue traced his lips, tasting the magic, he’d exhaled. “She’s of your blood line, Regina.” His eyes glinted in the low light of the club. “I didn’t know you were in the habit of siring.”

“I’m not,” Regina bit out. “She’s the exception.”

His eyes were blown completely black. “She _is_ exceptional.”

Hyde’s attention finally slid back to the brunette and Emma blinked. She resisted the urge to give her head a hard shake. The timber of Hyde’s voice wasn’t smooth; it was broken sounding as it went up in pitch and then back down to gravel within the space of a sentence. It was mesmerizing. Emma was glad she didn’t need to breathe because she was quite sure she’d been holding her breath the entire time his focus had been on her.

“So, what brings you to my club, Regina?”

“Can’t a woman have a night out without her motives being questioned?” she asked while sidling over to the sideboard.

“A woman, yes,” Hyde replied, watching as she lifted several bottles, reading their labels, “but the Dark One rarely moves without motive.”

“It’s my night off.” She flashed him a tight smile before selecting one of the bottles for the server to open and pour for her. “Emma?”

“No uh.” Emma shook her head at the surprise offer of a drink, a very expensive drink if the blonde knew her wines at all. “I’m good, thanks.”

“ _Are_ you?” Hyde asked, his head tilting towards her at an odd angle. “Good, I mean?”

“Uhm…”

“I thought the fight club scene went out ages ago,” Regina said, rejoining them with glass in hand and saving Emma from having to answer. “What made you bring them back?”

“Everything old can be made new again,” Hyde answered. “The desire for carnage never truly goes away. Societies simply give it a new veneer.” He gave her a half-smile. “As the Dark One, I’m sure you are privy to man’s base proclivities.”

“I was privy to those before I was ever the Dark One, dear.”

Milaje appeared quietly at Hyde’s side. Glancing at the two women, she didn’t bother lowering her voice as they would’ve been able to hear her regardless. “The first match is set to begin in five minutes.”

“Excellent.” Hyde gestured towards the overlook. “Won’t you stay and join us for the festivities?”

“I think not,” Regina replied immediately. She softened the reply with an excuse. “Emma has never been to the fights before. I promised her a ringside experience.”

“Yes,” he drawled, “there is something to be said for being close enough to hear the crunch of bone, or for the two of you, I imagine the scent of blood in the air will be most tantalizing.”

“Exactly.” Regina set her untouched drink down. “Thank you for your hospitality.” She hooked her hand through Emma’s elbow and turned them both to go.

“Oh, one more thing,” Hyde’s voice caught them before they made it two steps.

Regina turned back to him, an eyebrow raised in question.

“If you’ll indulge me,” he said, closing the distance between them. “I heard rumor that the one they call the Savior has died.” His gaze slid to Emma. “Is that accurate?”

Regina shifted her weight, not-quite-subtly placing herself between Hyde and the blonde. “Oh yes, she died.”

“You seem rather certain.”

“I should be.” She offered another cold smile. “I’m the one that killed her.”

Hyde’s expression shifted to match Regina’s, a fake smile stretching his features. “Thank you for that.” He gestured towards the fighting pit. “I do hope you enjoy the evening’s entertainment, Dark One.” His gaze slid once again to Emma. “Miss _Swan_.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I swear, I never gave him my last name," Emma hissed once they reached the floor level. The noise of the club filling back in as they stepped off the stairs and past the magical barrier.

"He's well informed," Regina muttered, moving forward. The crowd once again parting for her as they made their way to the far side of the club.

"And what was that last bit about? You killed a Savior?" Emma stayed close to Regina's shoulder. "We're not talking like Jesus, are we?"

The brunette snorted, "No, Emma." She shook her head, unable to repress the amusement at the blonde’s ignorance. "How old do you think I am?"

"Well, he's the only 'savior' I've ever heard of." She waved her hand at herself. “Besides me, I mean.”

"In my time, there have been many saviors." She reached the edge of the cage, people crowded into each other making room for her. “And the savior I killed was you. Technically.”

“What?!”

Regina faced her with complete exasperation in her expression. “I made you a vampire, Emma. You are a member of the undead. What part of this is a surprise to you?”

“I didn’t know I _died_!” There was a snicker of laughter behind her and she glared at the young couple that was obviously eavesdropping. She let the demon rise in her eyes and they suddenly found their drinks much more interesting. When she turned back to Regina, she frowned when she saw the brunette holding her hand up to the chain link of the cage. “Magic?”

Regina hummed slightly as the energy surrounding the cage licked at her fingers. “The signature feels similar to what I felt at Zelena’s.”

“So, the attack on her house is connected to this?”

“It would appear so.”

The lights all around the floor began to dim as strobes began to chase each other around the enclosed space. Pulse pounding music blasted from the speakers and people began to cheer. Emma and Regina glanced at each other warily.

“Welcome one, welcome all!” A voice echoed out over the crowd. “You know what you want!”

The crowd cheered louder but Emma could distinctly make out the words ‘blood’ and ‘fight’.

“Emma,” Regina said, her voice cutting under the noise easily, “you need to order me not to interfere.”

Emma heard her perfectly, but she still found herself asking, “What?”

The crowd roared again and people began rattling the cage.

“You know I hate repeating myself,” Regina growled.

The blonde squeezed her arm against her side, feeling the hilt of the Dark One’s dagger press against her ribs from inside her jacket. “Yeah, but…you’ve never…I mean, I don’t want to _control_ you.”

“You need to command me not to interfere, Emma,” Regina repeated.

The crowd began to chant a name and suddenly a small portal opened up inside the cage and a fighter strode out of it. He was easily seven feet tall, scars crisscrossed over his broad chest and back as he turned, raising his arms to the cheering crowd.

Emma was looking wildly around, catching a brief glimpse of Lily who did not appear to be having as good a time as her friends.

Regina reached down and grabbed her forearm. “Emma,” she snapped, getting her attention. She lowered her voice. “In all likelihood, we are about to see people we know and care about fighting in unforgiving circumstances. We will not be helping them in any way by jumping in and acting prematurely.” She watched the fighter strut around the pit. “That does not mean that I will not want to. Desperately.”

A portal opened again inside the cage and a second figure emerged. It was a woman; it appeared she had been pushed through the portal as she stumbled and took a second to take in her surroundings. It was all the opening the first fighter needed as he slammed a fist into the side of her head.

Emma’s eyebrows raced up her forehead when the woman barely flinched, and the first fighter pulled back, shaking his hand in pain.

“Emma!”

“Right, yeah.” At Regina’s insistence, she crossed her arms over her chest, slipping one hand beneath her jacket to grasp the dagger. She saw the slightest twitch at the corner of the brunette’s eyes when her fingers made contact. “No matter what you see tonight in the fighting pit, I order you not to interfere.”

Regina’s expression tightened, but she inclined her head. The cage shook and rattled as the fighters threw each other up against it.

“And…” Emma braced herself against the dark fire that immediately sparked in Regina’s eyes, “you will prevent me from interfering as well.”

It was clear Regina didn’t like it, but the heat of her glare simmered down to a low burn. “Very well.” She relaxed fractionally when she felt Emma release the dagger. “I suppose it wouldn’t do for your charming genes to start acting up without some sort of restraint in place.”

Emma smirked until she caught sight of the three inch claws the female fighter had grown and how they already had blood dripping from them.


	7. Chapter 7

The first night of fights had been educational for Emma but less than useful. There had been four bouts of two fighters each and only one werewolf in the third round had looked vaguely familiar to Regina. Emma hadn’t recognized him at all but her aunt had been around a lot longer than she had. An early morning call with Snow when they got home had confirmed that James and Ruby as well as the other two members of the pack were still missing. As the fight club was still their best lead, they’d agreed to give it another try.

Emma glanced sideways at Regina as they strolled leisurely down the deserted, darkened sidewalk. The club had moved locations and tonight’s event was taking place in an abandoned warehouse. Fortunately, they no longer needed Lily as an escort, but the young brunette had offered her assistance if and when it was needed.

Emma wasn’t quite sure what to make of Lily and Mal. She knew, or thought she had known, Lily from the bar, but the previous night’s events had exposed her (and her mother) as being a bit darker than Emma had ever imagined. Lily had clearly been attending the fights and enjoying them prior to finding out the fighters might not be there by choice. When she’d run into Lily halfway through the night, the brunette had suggested it was her inner dragon that craved and enjoyed the primal energy the fights produced, but Emma had doubts it was just that. After all, Emma herself was a predator and the savagery of the bouts had left her less than hungry despite the magical scent of blood heavy in the air.

“Emma,” Regina spoke, breaking the silence of the crisp night air, “I can hear you brooding.”

“Hmm?” Emma looked up and caught the Dark One looking at her with a raised brow. “Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Regina replied, “just tell me what’s on your mind.” When Emma only grunted, the brunette stopped walking and stood toe to toe with the blonde. “I need you focused once we go in here, so talk to me.”

They were less than a block away from the warehouse and Emma glanced around their rundown surroundings. “Did you…enjoy watching the fights?”

Regina scoffed. “They are hardly how I would choose to spend my time. I’d much prefer a good glass of wine and perhaps some passable theater.”

“I mean,” the younger vampire swallowed nervously, “as the Dark One. Do the fights appeal to you?”

Regina’s expression shuttered; her eyes lost their emotion, and the mild curiosity she’d possessed towards Emma’s brooding drained away. She took a long moment to consider the question and her response. Finally, she said, “Yes.”

It was the answer Emma had been afraid of hearing.

“Did you find the darker parts of yourself morbidly entertained?” Regina asked.

Emma took a step back, shaking her head. “No.”

“No?”

“No,” Emma insisted. “I was actually kind of nauseated by the end of the night.”

“Nauseated,” Regina repeated, exhaling an amused huff. “I’d like to say I’m surprised, but given your savior and charming genes, I don’t suppose I am.”

Emboldened at not being immediately shut down, Emma continued, “When we were leaving, you kind of looked…euphoric.”

It was Regina’s turn to look away, her dark gaze shifting quickly across the shadows. “I suppose that’s probably because I was,” she admitted. “The emotions and impulses that come with being the Dark One are well sated in this environment.”

“I don’t know if I understand.”

Regina frowned. “You said you felt nauseated, yes?” She waited for Emma to nod. “Why? Because of what you saw? The blood from the fights?”

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know; I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve seen worse and it never bothered me.”

“Exactly. It wasn’t the sights or the sounds that affected you, but the energy,” she said. “You still have light magic inside you, Emma, and everything about this place is attractive to the dark not the light. Blood, hate, fear, anger, lust, envy. It’s like catnip to the dark.”

“So, it made me sick and you happy?” Emma asked her face scrunched up in dislike.

“In simplistic terms, yes.”

“That’s disturbing.”

Regina opened her mouth to say something then seemed to reconsider. She simply nodded and began walking again towards the club’s entrance.

This time when they stepped through the magical barrier that concealed the entrance from view, Hal, the bouncer, nodded respectfully as they passed. Emma guessed someone had tipped him off as to who exactly Regina was. The bored kid was as disinterested as he’d been the first night, barely acknowledging them as he handed over the betting drafts.

“Thanks,” Emma muttered, looking over the info. Her breath caught in her throat. “Regina.”

“Hmmm?” The brunette had been looking back over her shoulder.

“Look at the last fight of the night.” Emma pointed at the bottom of the betting sheet.

**Red Wolf vs. Wolf Prince**

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

“So, is it just me, or do you think the last fight of the night is going to be interesting?”

Emma turned away from the bar where she was waiting on her drink order to find Lily hopping up onto the stool next to her. “I don’t know if interesting is the word I’d use to describe it.”

“You know who this so-called wolf prince is?” she asked, signaling the bartender for a refill of whatever she was drinking.

“I’m afraid it might be my little brother,” Emma said, collecting her and Regina’s drinks.

“You’re shitting me!” Lily shook her head. “That’s fucked up.”

“Tell me about it.” She turned to head back towards Regina. “You here by yourself tonight?”

“Nah, Mom came with me tonight.” Lily stirred her drink. “She’s over there talking to your aunt now.”

Surprised, Emma looked more closely and did indeed see the statuesque blonde. “What about your friends from last night?”

“Those weren’t my friends. Just some mundanes that were looking to score a wild night.” Lily shrugged. “They pay well.”

“Right,” Emma drawled out, “and they don’t think it’s…” she gestured wildly to the club encompassing all of its supernatural elements.

“They’re so high or drunk by the time they get here they don’t remember half of what they see the next morning,” Lily explained. “And what they do remember they don’t believe. It’s great for repeat business.”

Not knowing quite what to make of that, Emma just nodded. “I’m just going to get back over to Regina before the next fight starts.”

The young brunette sent her off with a dip of her head and Emma weaved through the crowd. People were grinding and dancing to the pulsing music. The one fight of the evening so far had been fairly lackluster but it hadn’t seemed to put anyone off enjoying their evening. She was felt up and offered more than one experience as she traversed the floor. Letting the demon rise in her eyes wasn’t necessarily a turn-off in this place and one guy had brazenly bared his neck to her when she’d done it.

 “It took you long enough, Savior,” Mal remarked as Emma finally made her way to Regina’s side. “What did you bring me?”

Emma glanced down at the two drinks. “Uh…”

“She can have mine,” Regina said with a slight smile.

“I think not.” Mal’s lip curled at the offered glass of wine. “You know my dragon only goes for hard liquor.”

Regina took the drink from Emma and raised it in toast to her old friend. She smirked, “I know.”

“I suppose I’ll have to find my own libations,” Mal sniffed. “We’ll be around if you have need of us.”

“I appreciate that,” Regina replied, “but it won’t be tonight.”

Maleficent nodded then gave Emma a long once-over. Sultry blue eyes met startled green and she smiled as she left. “Do try and stay out of trouble, Swan. I’d hate to see anything happen to that fantastic ass of yours.”

Emma yelped as an indiscreet hand swatted her backside. She glared at Regina when the older woman laughed. “Seriously?!”

Regina shrugged. “Mal has always appreciated pretty things be they baubles, treasure, or people. You should be flattered.”

Before Emma could respond the lights began to strobe signaling the start of the second bout. A group of people jostled against Emma as they made their way past seeking out a better vantage point. As they passed, something was pushed into Emma’s free hand. By the time she realized it and looked around, she couldn’t see anyone of distinction in the flashing lights and thrumming crowd. She carefully glanced down at her hand and found a wrinkled scrap of paper.

“What is it?” Regina asked, never taking her gaze off the pit.

Of course, Regina had noticed. Emma wondered if she had seen who had given it to her better than she had. Holding the paper carefully out of sight, Emma turned into the brunette’s side and read the message. “Hyde knows you’re the Savior. He’s killed both of you before.”


	8. Chapter 8

After the last fight, Emma wanted to vomit. The pulsing music, the sea of people swirling around her, and the images scarred into her mind from what she had just witnessed were massing together to make her stomach want to turn inside out. It was that sort of feeling right before you’re sick which makes you think if you just go ahead and succumb, you’ll feel better.

The fighting cage in front of her was empty save for the streaks of blood that stained the ground. Her stomach lurched again as she vividly remembered seeing the blows that caused the release of such fluids. She turned away from the cage. “Can we go now?”

Regina stood beside her, still as a statue, blackened gaze locked on the empty pit. She hadn’t moved a muscle since the last fight of the night had started. Emma had brushed against her more than once during the fight; she’d felt the trembling muscles working hard against the Dark One’s curse and the command that she restrain herself. The magic had rolled off Regina in waves causing more than one fight to break out amongst the crowd standing nearby.

Emma swallowed back her rising bile and risked a glance at her aunt. “Regina?”

Slowly, ever so slowly, Regina closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath. A slight tremor ran the length of her torso before she opened her eyes, blinking twice before she asked, “What?”

The blonde had expected a harsh, clipped response. A hard bark that promised death. The softened low voice that sounded more tired than angry surprised her. “Uh,” she frowned, caught for a moment, “yeah, uh, can we get out of here now? I’m really not feeling…I need some fresh air.”

Regina looked at her as she trailed off and took another breath, nodding. “Yes.” She placed her hand on the small of Emma’s back, guiding her towards the exit. “Let’s leave.”

“For now,” Emma ground out, hating the still exuberant crowd that flowed around them as everyone made their way out of the club. “We’ll come back for them.”

 “Oh, yes,” Regina echoed darkly. “We’ll be back. For all of them.”

For once, Emma’s blood sang at the promise of darkness she heard in her aunt’s voice. Her nausea receded and she took her first easy breath as she allowed her demon to answer Regina’s call for blood and vengeance. After what she had just witnessed, she’d burn the place down with a song in her heart.

_“And now the event you’ve all been waiting for!”_

_The fourth and final fight of the night was about to begin. Emma glanced nervously at Regina but the brunette’s gaze stayed riveted on the cage. She’d forced Emma to command her not to interfere again as soon as she’d recognized a sorcerer she knew fighting in the second round. In the third round, a dark goblin of some sort had died after having his throat ripped out._

_The crowd cheered as a portal shimmered open inside the cage. A large black and grey wolf ran out of it, sharp nails gouging into the floor as it slid to a stop. It bared its teeth, snapping at the air and shaking its head as it began to pace._

_“Oh, God. Ruby,” Emma breathed. She’d trained and fought with all of her mother’s wolf pack enough that she could easily identify all of them on sight. Across the pit, she felt the pull of another’s attention and locked eyes with Lily. The dragon shone in her eyes and Emma knew she too recognized their common friend._

_A second portal began to open, as it grew larger, a tall, broad figure filled its entirety before stepping out. Emma clamped her hand down on Regina’s forearm to steady herself. “James.”_

_The man that stood in the ring barely resembled the younger brother she had seen less than a month before. He stood bare chested in cut off shorts and some sort of collar around his neck. Muscles rippled across his chest and back. His skin was littered with faded cuts and bruises, evidence of having already fought at least once before._

_A low, deep throated growl echoed out of Ruby’s throat as the wolf snarled and snapped, squaring off against the human in front of her. James growled back, an inhuman sound as his large hands flexed and curled slowly into the claws of a beast. The two predators began to circle each other as the crowd roared for action._

_Ruby lunged first, attacking straight at James’ legs. Her teeth grazed across his thigh as he threw himself to the side. She pursued him; his knee slammed into her jaw, crashing her teeth together, forcing her to back off a step. James was back on his feet and Emma could see the golden glow of the wolf in his eyes. Fur rippled over his chest and back, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared._

_“He can’t control it,” Emma realized as Ruby seemed to take offense at his half-state attacking again. Her teeth snapped at his calf, sinking in and pulling out quickly, avoiding his claws as they swiped at her side. She repeated the move twice more, hitting him, hurting him, but ducking back before he could do the same._

_“Stay away from him, Ruby,” Regina muttered, eyes never straying from the fight._

_Emma barely heard her but all she saw was her brother dripping blood from multiple wounds. “I don’t think she’s the one that has to worry.”_

_“He’s drawing her in.”_

_Ruby struck again, aiming higher this time, her teeth scraping across his side. James jumped back and Emma saw what Regina meant. He didn’t try and strike back. He was watching, waiting, putting a slight stagger into his steps as he appeared to retreat. “No, James, don’t-”_

_The large black wolf lunged, going straight for the throat this time. Strong arms welcomed her close, wrapping around her canine body. Claws sank into Ruby's sides and she yelped, realizing too late her error. She thrashed in his grip, dragging his claws into furrows across her sides. She sank her teeth into his shoulder and ripped away causing him to yell in pain._

_The momentary distraction was enough for Ruby to wriggle free and stagger to the opposite side of the cage. Blood and gore dripped from James’ hands as he got back to his feet. The wounds on his legs were almost completely healed but his shoulder was still a gaping mess. He faced the wolf and laughed when it growled in warning at him._

_Emma grabbed for the cage as James charged at Ruby. Her bloodied maw snapped at him as she tried to escape. His forearm got caught between her jaws but it didn’t slow him down as he lifted the struggling wolf up in his arms and slammed her against the side of the cage. Her teeth left long gashes in his arm as he pulled it free and reversed his grip. James lifted the black wolf over his head and slammed her to the ground._

_“No!” Emma cried out, yelling, banging her hand against the cage as James stood over Ruby’s unmoving form. “Don’t! James, no!”_

_A loud gong sounded, signaling the end of the fight. Emma saw her brother drop to his knees with his hands grasping at the collar around his neck just before the inside of the cage went completely dark. Loud cheers and boos rang out from the crowd as Emma stood, hanging on to the cage to keep herself upright._

Emma sucked in a breath of the cold, brisk air as soon as they made it outside of the club. "What are we going to do?"

"Not here, not now," Regina snapped tightly. She moved her hand to Emma's elbow, continuing to guide her forwards. "We're being followed."

Emma straightened and sniffed the air. She smirked. "Nothing we can't handle."

"Indeed."

Without another word between them, the two women took an abrupt turn into a darkened alley. They melted into the shadows and waited the arrival of their pursuer. A shoe scuffed against the damp pavement as the person stopped and looked around clearly surprised at his quarry disappearing. Cautiously, he started down the alley, his steps faltering.

Emma felt Regina's magic surge the second before the shadows reached out and grabbed the fool. He gasped as his back hit the brick wall and then suddenly Regina was in front of him, one hand wrapped around his throat pinning him back.

"Aw, hell. It's just the kid from the entrance, the one with the betting sheets," Emma frowned. He was just a teenager and far too young for Emma to take seriously. She watched as he panicked, bony fingers scrambling futilely at the hand that was choking him. "Ease off, Regina."

"He may be just a boy, but he’s been watching us since the moment we stepped through the club’s door." Regina easily lifted him a few inches off the ground. "Clearly, he wanted our attention. Now he has it."

"P-please..." he gasped. "I'm not here...to hurt you..."

At Emma's raised eyebrow, Regina sighed and dropped him. "You couldn't even if you wanted to."

The boy landed in a pile at their feet, coughing as he dragged air back into his lungs. He held up a hand in deference. "I know. Believe me...I _know_." He rubbed at his throat with his free hand and managed to sit back against the wall. "Better than most."

Emma glanced sideways at her aunt. "What's that supposed to mean? Who are you, kid?"

"My name is Henry.” He pushed himself to his feet and straightened his posture in front of them. "And I'm your son."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some of my favorite little moments in it. For anyone reading, thank you so much and hope you're enjoying it.

_“I’m your son.”_

Emma snorted at his proclamation but startled to find Regina glaring at her. “What?”

“Is there something you wish to tell me?”

The blonde frowned in confusion at the hostility directed at her. “No.”

“Your scent is in his blood.”

Emma glanced over at the boy who offered a sheepish shrug and then her eyebrows raced up her forehead as she spun back to Regina. “What! No, I don’t have anything to tell you. I never had a kid, Regina! Is he-”

She almost made the mistake of asking if Henry was Regina’s.

Almost.

The hands slowly moving to settle on hips stopped her. As a vampire, Regina couldn’t have children, and any child she might have had before she was turned would have long been dust. Smartly, Emma returned her attention to Henry. “Okay, kid, I don’t have a son, and neither does she.”

“Maybe not in this universe,” he smirked.

“Universe? Seriously?!” Emma looked again to Regina for help.

The brunette’s eyes narrowed as she considered the boy. “You’re claiming to be from an alternate universe?”

“Yep.” He nodded. “And in it, you are both my mothers. Emma gave birth to me and you adopted me. I’ll tell you all about it.” He ignored Emma’s scoff of disbelief and glanced towards the mouth of the alley. “But not here.”

Regina drummed her fingers against her hip. “You have someplace in mind?”

“There’s an all-night diner five blocks over.”

She stifled an eye roll at the way Emma’s interest peaked at the mention of food. “Fine,” she said after another moment of consideration. “Lead the way.”

Henry slid past her awkwardly when she refused to step back. Emma glanced at her with a questioning expression before following him. As they exited the alley, Regina gave a discreet nod of thanks to the two dragons standing across the road and waved them off for the rest of the night. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but the boy had captured her interest. His claim to be their son wasn’t so far-fetched when his blood reeked of Emma’s scent.

An hour later, Regina was even more convinced of his heritage. She grimaced in distaste as Henry inhaled a second cheeseburger. “Clearly, he’s from your blood line.”

Emma frowned at her. “Really? The kid is obviously starving and you’re going to criticize his manners?” 

The brunette sipped her coffee without reply, choosing to look out the window instead of watching the boy shove French fries into his mouth. 

“Take it easy, kid. We can order more food,” Emma said, signaling the waitress. 

“Preferably something a bit healthier,” Regina muttered, surprised when Henry started laughing. 

“It’s nice to know some things never change,” he managed after swallowing the last large bite of cheeseburger. He wiped haphazardly at his mouth with a napkin, a slight frown pulling his brows together. “Are you two…” he gestured to both of them, “you know…together?” 

“What?” Emma choked on her coffee while Regina simply raised an eyebrow. 

He shrugged. “Sometimes you are; sometimes you aren’t. You’re obviously close to each other, but I couldn’t tell what the relationship was here.” 

“Kid, she raised me. She’s practically my mother.” 

“How is that even-” Henry frowned in confusion before he dismissed the question. “Doesn’t matter. Different universe, different rules.” He said it as a reminder to himself mostly. “So, I guess you showed up to the fights because of Ruby.”

Regina nodded. Emma added, “And James.”

“Yeah, I wondered about him,” Henry admitted. “I knew he came in with Ruby and those two others, but who is he?”

“He’s my little brother.”

Henry looked surprised for the first time in the conversation. “Your brother? Huh. He’s usually named Neal.”

“Neal?!” Emma’s hand jerked almost knocking over her coffee. Regina silently caught and steadied the mug.

“Yeah, Snow and Charming named their son after my dad,” he said dismissively.

Emma sputtered, “Your dad’s name was Neal?”

Henry nodded, frowning slightly at the blonde’s white-knuckle grip on the table. “Yeah, he died saving the town from Z-” he trailed off and glanced at Regina. He shook his head. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. It obviously didn’t happen here.”

Regina caught the boy’s deflection but was more interested in Emma’s reaction. The sudden fritz in the blonde’s magic was like static across her skin. “Emma, are you all right?”

“Uh huh.” She nodded too quickly. “Fine.” She let go of the table and put her hands in her lap. “We were talking about Ruby, weren’t we?”

“Yes, we were,” Regina said after a moment. Whatever it was that had spooked Emma she’d find out about later if it was important. She turned her attention to the boy. “What can you tell us about the fights?”

A seriousness settled on Henry’s features that hadn’t been there before. He sat back from the table. “You were there. You saw how it goes.”

His gaze was fixed on Regina. “Yeah, kid. We saw the fights,” Emma said, trying to break the stare down before the Dark One took it as a challenge. “They were pretty brutal.” 

“They’re beyond brutal,” Regina said. “The fighters appear feral in nature. What is Hyde doing to them?” 

“Well, you know who Hyde is and how he got that way?”

Regina nodded. Emma nodded a beat later. Both brunettes eyed her.

“What? Don’t look at me like that. I only just met this guy Hyde.” She shoved hair out of her face. “I know the stories and stuff, but is he straight out of classic literature, or does he have a more League of Extraordinary Gentleman vibe going on?” She held up a hand. “For the record, he does not look like the movie version. Thankfully.”

“I’m so glad to know the thousands of dollars I spent on your education has served you well.”

“Hey, the Mad Hatter runs a New York bar owned by the Evil Queen, all right? Fairytale characters in this land don’t always live up to their literary counterparts. Give me some leeway.”

Regina cocked an eyebrow before giving Emma a slight nod. “Fair enough.”

“Thank you,” Emma said then returned her attention to Henry. “Back to Hyde, in the book there was a potion or something, right? And it changed the little meek guy into a raging monster?”

“Serum,” Henry corrected, “not potion. The original serum brought out a person’s worst characteristics amped up to the tenth degree – enter Hyde. As time wore on, Hyde wasn’t satisfied with just _sharing_ a body. He created a new serum that separates the two people completely. That’s how Hyde freed himself from Dr. Jekyll.”

“And where is the good doctor?” Regina asked.

Henry shrugged. “Rumor is he’s got Jekyll stashed away somewhere, but I’ve never seen him.” He waved off the subject. “Doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is, that he still has the original monster making serum, the one that changes a person for a limited time. _That’s_ what he using on the fighters; that’s how he’s making them fight. They’re being dosed with the equivalent of super steroids mixed with cocaine, magic, and a pinch of insanity.”

“Instead of Bruce Banner we have the Incredible Hulk,” Emma offered.

Henry cocked his head to the side. “More like Devil Hulk.”

At the blonde’s grimace, Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are all the fighters on the serum?”

Henry shook his head. “Nah, only the fighters from Hyde’s stable.”

“So, all the people he’s kidnapped and forcing to fight.”

“He has a couple that stay and fight voluntarily,” Henry said, “but even they want the juice before they go into the pit.”

“But he does have fighters that he’s holding against their will?” Regina clarified. Henry nodded. “Where are they being kept?”

“He erects a few holding cells near each club where the fights are held. He brings the night’s fighters there before they fight. He keeps them in the Enchanted Forest anytime they aren’t fighting, uses magical healing and restraints on them. Being in the realm keeps their more magical attributes closer to the surface.”

“Where in the Enchanted Forest is he keeping them?”

“I don’t know.”

Emma straightened when he pinged off her lie detector. “You want to try that answer again, kid? This time with a little bit of truth in it.”

He glared at her. “Guess some things are universal.”

She didn’t know what he meant exactly, but it hardly mattered. “How’s he moving between realms?”

“Oh, you know,” he flourished his hand in a swirling motion, “magic.”

“Enough.” Regina snapped at the sarcasm, her voice cold and hard. “We need details, Henry. We need to know where the fighters are kept, how and when they are moved, and what kind of security is in place at each location.”

“Why?” Henry snapped back at her, completely unfazed by her temper. “So, you can go waltz in there and free everyone? You think you haven’t tried that before?”

Emma rocked back at his audacity. No one spoke to Regina like that…ever.

“Do you want to get yourselves killed?” He glared at both of them. “Hyde is _immune_ to your magic. He’s got protections in place that you can’t beat. He’ll capture you and put you in the pit.” He leaned towards them as far as the table between them allowed. “He’ll make you fight. You’ll be brutalized over and over again until you either succumb to the serum or you lose and die in the pit. I’ve seen it happen.” He choked on the last sentence and slumped back against the seat. “More than once.”

The two women looked at each other. Emma cleared her throat. “Kid, I’m sorry that you had to see that, but-”

“But nothing!” he interrupted, slamming his hand down on the table. “If you go after Hyde,” he glared at Regina, “if _either_ of you go after Hyde, you die. It’s that simple.” He dragged his hand through his hair and stared down at the table. “Last time…the last time Emma made it through a dozen fights. Twelve fights in fifteen days.” He picked at a divot in the tabletop. “She died, chained to the floor in some dirty basement. Even with her magic, the serum burned her out. You had so many…the injuries were just too much.” His eyes closed briefly as he calmed his breathing. “Hyde made me dump her body in an alley. Three days passed before anyone found her.” He finally looked up, locking eyes with Emma. “And you were the lucky one. Mom…,” he flinched and corrected himself, “ _Regina_ lasted a month.”

His dark gaze shifted to the brunette. “Hyde gave you the serum over twenty times. It accumulated in your system and took longer and longer to wear off. Your dark magic fed on it, fed on the violence, fed on the blood and the pain, the crowds. When you weren’t in the pit, you screamed until you were coughing up blood and still he made you fight. By the end of the last fight, you were insane. Hyde laughed and called you pathetic. He snapped your neck. It was…a relief.”

The silence at the table was palpable, but it was Regina who spoke first. “Henry, Hyde has our friends. Members of our family,” she said not unkindly. “If you know us as well as you claim to, you know we won’t just sit by and let Hyde hurt them.”

“I _know_ that,” he growled. “Hyde _knows_ that. Why do you think he takes them? He doesn’t care about them. Most of them only last a handful of fights. He wants the two of you. In his mind, you two are the only people more powerful than him. He wants to beat you.” He sighed and leaned back in the booth. “He knows you’ll come for your family. He knows you’ll die.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Henry threw his napkin down on the table and excused himself to the restroom. Both women watched him go and the silence built at the table as the waitress came by and cleaned up the plates. She offered refills on the coffee and suggested pie. Emma nodded numbly and managed to order two portions, one for her and one for Henry.

Regina sensed Emma was still processing what Henry had told them and checked her phone for messages from Zelena. There weren’t any from her sister, but there was one that was unexpected. “You’ll never guess-”

“I was pregnant once.” 

Regina froze, the comment she had been about to make dissolving immediately on her tongue at the unexpected confession. She shut down her phone and placed it on the table. She swallowed, “Go on.”   

“It was back when I was doing all the partying and drugs,” Emma admitted into the heavy silence. “I was also…sleeping around.” She cleared her throat. “A lot.” 

Regina had assumed but never questioned. “How did you find out?” 

“How does anyone ever find out?” The blonde shrugged, looking away. “Missed a couple cycles, bought a home test, drank myself stupid…miscarried a couple of weeks later.” She swiped at her cheek. “I wasn’t exactly taking good care of myself. Figured it was for the best.” 

Regina forced herself to release the tight fist she had under the table. “Did you know who the father was?” 

“Pretty sure. There’d only been one guy in a while…” 

“And was his name, Neal?” 

Emma nodded. 

“Did you ever tell him?” 

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Didn’t see the point.” 

Regina resisted the urge to reach out and tuck the younger woman’s hair back like she had when she was a child. 

Henry returned to the table and looked curiously between the two women. “What happened?”

“I, uhm…ordered pie.” Emma gestured as the waitress walked up and set the two plates down.

“What about you, hon?” the waitress asked Regina as she set down clean silverware. “You sure you don’t want anything?”

Emma and Henry both bowed their heads to their plates to hide their grins at the Dark One being called ‘hon’. Regina answered with a polite lie of having already eaten.

As the waitress left, Henry dug his fork into the flaky crust. “So, Snow and Charming are werewolves, too?” When Emma nodded, he asked, “Are you still the Savior?”

She glanced at Regina. “Yeah. Technically.”

“And you’re the Dark One?” he asked, pointing his fork at Regina before thinking better of it and apologizing. “What happened to Grandpa, I mean, Rumplestiltskin?”

“Rumple was your grandfather?” Regina asked, stunned. She turned on Emma. “Did you know about this?”

“Hadn’t quite made the connection, no,” Emma admitted sheepishly.

Henry just laughed and forked another piece of pie. “This world is so weird.”

“Yeah, uh, speaking of that, Henry, in these other worlds, are we…” Emma hesitated not knowing if he’d realized yet just how powerful the two of them were, “are Regina and I _just_ magic users in these other realms?”

He glanced between the two of them. “I’ve never seen Mom as the Dark One before, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Emma shifted, glanced at Regina, then decided to just spill it. “Vampires, Henry. Are Regina and I vampires in any of the other worlds you’ve been to?”

He didn’t seem surprised by the question. “No,” he said, drawling out the answer, before pointing at Emma, “although you were a werewolf one time.”

Emma’s brows shot up her forehead. “What? How?”

“Ruby.” Henry shrugged. “I guess the two of you were together and things got a little heated one night-”

“Oh-kay!” Emma held up her hand to stop him going any further. “That’s…yeah, I did not need to know that.”

“You did ask, dear,” Regina pointed out.

“I know, but Ruby!” she whined. “She’s like my big sister.”

“Your _hot_ big sister,” Henry muttered loud enough for them both to hear. Regina didn’t disagree and sipped her coffee, a smile creeping over her face.

“You! Shut it!” Emma said, pointing at Henry before turning on Regina. “And you…” she noticed the smile on her aunt’s face. “Regina, oh my God. You slept with Ruby?”

The brunette carefully set her coffee cup back down. “Miss Lucas and I have known each other a long time.” She glanced at Henry. “And, well, she’s my type.”

Henry busted out laughing. “Way to go, Mom!”

Emma gaped, stunned that he wasn’t as horrified as she was. “That’s your mother!”

Henry kept laughing. “I’ve walked in on you two going at it multiple times in different worlds. I got over it a long time ago.”

Emma pushed up from the table, her face redder than her jacket. “I’m going to go…get some coffee.” She walked towards the bar, muttering, “And some bleach.” She called back over her shoulder. “There will be a different topic of conversation when I return.”

Regina watched her go with a bemused expression. Considering who had raised Emma, she still had a surprising naivety about some things. She watched the boy reach over and finish off the pie Emma had left behind before she asked, “Where do you fit into all this?”

“Hmmm?” he looked up still chewing.

“How did you get mixed up with Hyde?”

“Oh. That.” His face flushed slightly and the earlier amusement quickly drained away. “A few years ago, Hyde was in my universe. He took Snow and Charming prisoner which, of course, set off Emma, but you were…different there.”

“Different,” she repeated then thought she understood. “More Evil Queen, less concerned family member.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Hyde taking Snow and Charming didn’t bother you. Good riddance as far as you were concerned. Emma following after them simply sweetened the pot.” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “But then I followed Emma.”

“Ah.” Regina knew how quickly that would change her mind. She’d do anything to protect her son. “And I followed you.”

“Yep,” he said tightly. “I got you killed.” He let out a harsh chuckle. “Love is weakness, right?”

Emma chose that moment to return to the booth and slide back into her seat. She glanced between the two of them much the same way Henry had. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing yet,” Regina answered. “Henry and I were just about to discuss how he could help us save our family. Weren’t you, Henry?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, defeated. “Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know more about Emma's partying days, check out the first story in this series.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma blew onto her hands and pushed herself further back into the recessed door. She’d given a homeless guy twenty bucks to vacate the stoop for the night. It was the perfect vantage point to scope out the abandoned medical clinic where, according to Henry, Hyde was housing the night’s fighters. They’d had to wait more than a day for Henry to call them and tell them Ruby was back on the fight card. Ruby’s match was considered a ‘black’ match, or in other words, a fight to the death. They couldn’t wait any longer despite James not being on the night’s call sheet. Regina, however, felt confident that once she got inside the staging area she’d be able to reverse magic the portal and find their way to James and the other fighters being held against their will. Unfortunately, they were already too late for Thomas and Mack. Henry told them that both of the werewolves had died within their first three fights.

Emma tightened her heavy, black peacoat over her chest. Even with the coat’s collar popped up to hide her blonde hair, she was freezing. “I thought as vampires we were resistant to extreme temperatures.”

“We are.”

Regina’s voice sounded in the Bluetooth earpiece that was tucked safely out of sight under her woolen beanie. “Uh huh.” Emma didn’t believe her aunt for a second. “Then why aren’t you out here?”

“Someone had to keep watch from higher ground.”

Emma glared up at the dilapidated brick building where she knew Regina was at a window on the fifth floor. The building was abandoned and nowhere anyone sane wanted to be, but it still had a lot less wind chill blowing through it.

“And besides, dear,” Regina continued, “if you could smell the amount of feces and decay that is in this building, you’d be thankful for the fresh air.”

Emma snickered and returned her attention to the clinic. Neither of them had felt any magic from the building at all, but it was still a little early. Henry had said the fighters were usually brought in an hour before the fights started. She melted further back into the shadows of her doorway as a man stalked down the sidewalk and approached the clinic. “Regina.”

“I see him.” They both watched from their vantage points as the man jerked open the boarded-up door and disappeared inside. “That makes five that we’ve seen go inside.”

“Yep.” Five guys between her and Regina, they could handle no problem. They could easily handle double that amount, but unfortunately, they only knew what they’d seen. They had no idea how many more guys were already inside. “If this party keeps getting larger, it wouldn’t hurt to have some back up.” She glanced up towards the building again. “What happened to our friendly neighborhood dragons?”

“Lily is covering the door once we go inside; Maleficent is busy taking care of some other business for me,” Regina said. “And if either of them ever hear you refer to them as friendly, neighborhood dragons, they’ll eat you like kibble.”

Emma chuckled. She’d like to see them try. “You wouldn’t let them hurt me.”

Regina hummed noncommittally.

“I bet-” Emma cut herself off as she caught the scent of electricity in the air. She breathed it in, tasting the magic. “You feel that?”

“Yes.” Regina appeared in a burst of darkened smoke making Emma jump. She smirked before stepping out of the alcove. “Let’s go find Ruby.”

Their entrance wasn’t subtle. With the amount of power between them, it didn’t need to be. The first three men that rushed them were thrown aside with ease, cracking dry wall and plaster when they crash landed. The next three men retreated. Emma grinned. The predator within her delighted at its chance to chase prey.

They moved like shadows further into the building, past its initial facade and into an open storage area. Emma growled at the sight of floor-to-ceiling cages taking up the open space. Henry had explained that because of the portal magic being used, it wasn’t possible to teleport into or out of the immediate vicinity of where the fighters were being kept. They also hadn’t been able to teleport into the building since they didn’t know where they were going, but once they had Ruby, they just had to get beyond the cells and they’d be out with a wave of their hands.

Shots rang out and Regina swatted the bullets away as though they were pesky insects. Emma used her magic to grab the two attackers on her right and drag them across the floor to where she stood. She picked one up, slammed her fist against his jaw hard enough to feel it shatter, and broke the second guy’s arm as he tried to raise his gun. He yelled in pain as she ground the heel of her boot down on the broken bones.

His cry of pain cut off with a sickening crack. Emma looked down as she easily held the guard with the broken jaw a foot off the ground. The man on the ground had stopped screaming because his neck was broken. The blonde raised a disapproving eyebrow at her aunt.

“Stop playing with your food,” Regina said, moving past her and towards the cells. “I taught you better than that.”

Emma shrugged, casually tossed the unconscious guard aside, and assumed the other guards Regina dealt with had shared a similar fate. “Think that was too easy? Seven guards?”

“Eight. I killed three on the left and perhaps.” She held up a hand, testing a magical barrier that seemed to span just in front of the row of cages. “Not dissimilar to what we passed through to get into the club.”

Emma felt it too even as her eyes scanned the row of eight cells. From what she could see, six of them had occupants. “Can you take it down?”

Regina gave the blonde a long-suffering eye-roll before making a single slashing move with her right hand. Emma felt the magic fall but she didn’t move immediately forward. “Kind of lends credence to the idea that this is a trap.”

“Indeed.” Regina gave her a dark grin. “Shall we spring it?”

Emma nodded. “Find Ruby. I’ll work on getting these other cells open.”

“Release them and move on,” Regina warned. “We don’t have time to carry everyone out of here.”

It was no time to argue, but Emma was still the Savior. She wasn’t leaving anyone behind if she could help it. She gave her aunt a shrug, knowing Regina had already known exactly what Emma wanted to do.

Regina glared at her. “Ruby is in the last cell on the left. Be ready to go by the time I get back.” She strode away, ignoring the way the fighter in the second cell cowered in the corner. She would not be responsible for her actions if Ruby was in similar shape.

When she finally laid eyes on Ruby, the younger brunette wasn’t cowering, but she sat in the back corner of her cell, head bowed to her knees, one bruised arm curled around her legs. Her normal scent of wolf and coffee perverted by blood and filth. Regina growled deep within her throat as her magic yanked open the cell door. The head barely lifted at the sound, unseeing eyes tracking only to the space directly in front of her.

“Ruby?” Regina hesitated at the threshold, wondering if this was going to be the trap, the cell door slamming shut behind her as soon she stepped inside. “Ruby, can you hear me? It’s Regina.”

No reaction. She glanced back up the row of cells and saw Emma was working on her third door. The first two cells stood empty and she could only assume the occupants eagerly ran out. She returned her attention to the more pressing problem. “Ruby?”

When the wolf still didn’t respond, there was nothing to be done for it. Regina walked inside the cell, her magic primed against the door, keeping it open although she didn’t feel anything trying to close it. She moved carefully until she was in front of the seated waitress. There was no recognition in the sunken brown eyes, but Regina felt the wolf recognize another predator in its vicinity. She’d have to handle this with care but they also needed to leave; they’d already been there too long.

“Ruby, it’s Regina. I need you to look at me.” The eyes never raised from their unseeing inspection of the floor. She hated to do it, but Regina filled her voice with the dark. “Look at me, wolf.”

The head snapped up, fire blazing briefly in the eyes as lips pulled back revealing bared teeth. Regina smiled at the response; her Ruby was still in there. “Do you see me now, wolf?”

Ruby blinked and her entire body seemed to slump. “Re-Regina? Wha-?”

“No time. I’ll explain later.” She reached down to pull Ruby to her feet. “Can you walk?”

The answer to that wasn’t clear cut. The younger brunette slowly and painfully uncurled her body, accepting the vampire’s help up. She staggered against Regina’s side as Emma appeared in the open cell door.

“We’ve got to go.”

Regina nodded and slipped her arm around Ruby’s waist. She could easily carry the wolf but she understood all too well the desire to walk out of such a place on one’s own feet. They were almost out of the cell area when Emma and Regina both felt the magic building behind them. They turned, fire blossoming in Regina’s free hand as a portal opened in the empty cell across from Ruby’s. They stared as a large male body was pushed through, collapsing immediately to the ground as the portal closed behind him. Emma flashed Regina an apologetic look as she rushed back towards the cell.

“Hurry up!” Regina snapped, extinguishing her flame and looking back over her shoulder. They only had about two steps to go and they’d be away from the cells. They could teleport the rest of the way out and start working on the plan to find James. She shifted Ruby’s weight and knew the werewolf was barely conscious.

“Oh my, God.” Emma glanced back up the row of cells to Regina. “It’s James!”

According to Henry, James wasn’t on the night’s fight card. He shouldn’t be here. “Emma, wait.”

But the blonde already had the cell open and was rushing inside to help the hunched over man still on his knees. Regina tensed, her hand already curled ready to call fire, but then she too saw the familiar blonde head of hair that looked so much like Charming’s. He was wearing the same shorts they’d seen him fighting in and his thick, muscular arm was draped across Emma’s shoulders as she supported him out of the cell. His head lifted slightly and his blue eyes locked on to Regina. He smiled at her just before he staggered, knocking both himself and Emma against the cell they were passing.

“Geez, bro,” Emma griped, trying to right them both. “Maybe lay off the protein-”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, reaching over to help leverage them back up. Instead of pushing off the bars, he trapped Emma’s arm against them and slapped a black cuff on her wrist.

She felt the immediate loss of connection to her magic. “James! What are you-”

He grinned down at her. “Not sorry.” He moved quickly, wrapping the arm that had been over Emma’s shoulders around her throat as he pulled her in front of him, his other arm snaking around her middle trapping one arm against her side.

“James?!”

“That’s not James,” Regina snarled, tightening her grip on Ruby.

The man that looked like James laughed and ducked a fireball that barely missed grazing his ear as he hauled a bucking, fighting Emma backwards several steps. “Of course not. James was just a glamour,” the unmistakeable, broken voice of Hyde assured them. “A morsel to, how did you put it, _spring the trap_?”

Emma’s magic may have been cut off but she still had her inherent vampire traits. She gouged and cut at Hyde’s arm with the fingernails of her free hand. She felt the heat from Regina’s fireballs as they landed squarely against the flesh of his arms.

Hyde laughed.

A wave of dark magic and emotion slammed into Emma making her instantly nauseous. Hyde continued to laugh even as he stumbled back another few steps under the barrage, dragging Emma with him. Without her white magic to fight it, the dark onslaught made Emma blink and suddenly she saw things very clearly.

The Dark One did not like to be played. Regina was stalking towards them in a fury, an unconscious Ruby slung over one shoulder, as Hyde continued to retreat.

“Regina, no! Stop!” Emma yelled. “He’s drawing you in!”

Regina pulled up short and frowned at her. Hyde stopped laughing.

“Get out of here! You’ve got to get Ruby out of-” Emma’s voice cut off as the arm around her throat tightened.

Awareness that Hyde had pulled her further back into the cells and away from their exit flashed across Regina’s expression. She backed up a step. “Let her go.”

“I don’t think so.” Hyde jerked his head backwards as Emma’s hand flailed too close to his face.

“Reg! Go!” Emma choked out, blood soaked nails scraped across a rough cheek.

“You’re becoming tiresome,” Hyde said. He reached the still open door of Ruby’s cell and tossed Emma inside.

Emma hit the back wall he’d thrown her so hard. “Regina! Go!” she yelled, getting back to her feet as Hyde slammed the cell closed.

“No. Stay.” Hyde squared himself off to Regina. “I’ll even let you keep your little puppy friend.”

Regina snarled and hurled magic at Hyde even as she took several steps backwards. Emma didn’t think she had ever seen her aunt look so conflicted. “Just go!”

The Dark One was at the threshold of the cell area. Hyde was pushing forward against her magic and Ruby was dead weight on her shoulder. She heard noise behind her and knew Hyde’s reinforcements were fighting their way past Lily; if she didn’t give the signal soon the dragon would also be trapped. She glanced at Emma; the girl she had practically raised nodded at her. With a scream of antagonized rage, Regina took another step back, twisted her hand and disappeared in a plume of black smoke.


	11. Chapter 11

Regina appeared in a swirl of smoke and magic in the middle of her New York townhouse. Two figures jumped to their feet at her arrival. Black flame blossomed in her hand as she whirled to meet them, a snarl curling back her lip.

“Regina!” Snow’s voice was sharp, trying to cut through whatever madness gripped her former stepmother. She was balanced on the balls of her feet, prepared to run or dodge as needed, but she hoped the powerful vampire would see her. “Regina, it’s Snow and David.”

David held as still as possible at his wife’s side. The dark energy crackling off the newly arrived brunette pricked at his skin and his wolf whined. Regina looked as dangerous as she had the first time he’d ever laid eyes on her, that day so long ago when she’d been truly mad with blood lust. Her blackened eyes flitted over them unseeing and she seemed completely oblivious to the body she had thrown over her shoulder.

“Regina?” Snow said more softly, elongated fangs flashed in her direction and she had to brace herself against her wolf’s desire to charge the vampire for the show of aggression. “Is that...Ruby?”

Regina seemed to falter at the quietly posed question. She pulled back on the rage and hate that was clawing its way out of her and snuffed out the flames in her hand. “Take her,” she growled.

“David.” Snow didn’t move. It would be easier for all involved if her alpha didn’t approach Regina when she was in full on predator mode.

David stepped forward and easily accepted Ruby’s unconscious form into his arms as she slid bonelessly off Regina’s shoulder. He cradled her against his chest, his wolf unsettled by her condition. He stepped back, glancing at Snow, the questions he wanted to ask written clearly on his face.

Snow nodded; she wanted to know, too. “And James?”

“I don’t know,” Regina managed, spinning on her heel away from the wolf. She sunk her nails into her palms as she tried desperately to regain control. It almost snapped again when she felt magic shimmer into existence just outside the room.

“Regina!” Lily stormed into the room, sporting torn clothes and a busted lip. “Did you find her? Did you find Ruby?”

Regina jerked her chin towards the back of the room where David had laid Ruby out on the couch. The young dragon rushed over to the werewolf’s side. “What the hell happened in there, Regina? One second it was all quiet and the next there were like twenty guards popping out of the woodwork.”

“It was a trap,” Regina said quietly.

Snow’s head tilted to the side at the quiet admission. She glanced needlessly around the room, her chest suddenly filling with fear. If Lily was back… “Where’s Emma?”

Regina’s eyes had finally settled back into their normal shade of deep brown when they met and held Snow’s. “Hyde has her.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Emma woke slowly. She felt heavy, weighed down, and her body did not want to respond to her demands. The bastard had tranquilized her; she huffed out an unamused laugh. He’d actually used a fucking tranq dart on her. It made sense she supposed. She’d wondered how he’d controlled the jacked-up fighters, moving them from place to place afterwards. The ones that were still conscious anyway. Guess she had her answer to that.

Slowly and with a bit of effort, she got her eyes to open. It took a few more blinks to clear them and confirm that she had indeed been moved while unconscious. She’d only taken a few short trips to the Enchanted Forest over the years, but she had visited a castle or two. She felt fairly sure that she was now getting her own private tour of the dungeons of one of those castles. The old school masonry combined with natural stone walls kind of gave it away. The cold, dank feel paired with a bit of straw that crackled beneath her were also great indicators.

As she started to get feeling back into her extremities, she was relieved to find that aside from the cell door she had no other restraints. Except for one. The stupid black cuff that encircled her wrist and cut off her magic. After a few minutes of flexing her fingers and toes, she rolled onto her side, and slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. She examined the cuff closer, scratched at it, tried pulling it off to no avail. She felt that same empty sensation she’d felt once before when she’d depleted all of her magic. It didn’t feel like an injury so much as there was simply something missing. It was a very lonely feeling to be cut off from her magic; she felt exposed.

Her current accommodations certainly didn’t help that feeling of isolation. There were no windows, no adjoining cell that she could see, and aside from the door, no bars to look through. There was a bucket in one corner but she tried not to think about having to use it. She wondered how long she’d been here.

She started working her way through several stretches, relieved to find that besides a few bruises she had no serious injuries. Eventually she got to her feet, feeling more clear-headed the more she moved, and made her way over to the door. Looking out through its bars, she was able to see what looked like a couple of similar cell doors in each direction. She didn’t hear anything though, no sounds of other inhabitants moving around, just the odd flicker here and there of the burning torches lining the corridor.

She debated internally about whether or not it would be a good idea to call out. She wasn’t sure she wanted to draw attention to herself, but she also wanted to find out what exactly Hyde had planned for her. She drummed her fingers against the bars, her index finger tapping erratically. “Hello?” She rolled her eyes at her own cliché prisoner dialogue, but really, what was she supposed to say. “Can anyone hear me?”

She strained to hear any sound and thought maybe she heard some movement. “Hey! Anybody out there?” Or maybe she had just imagined it. Wanted so badly to hear someone else.

But it didn’t make any sense for her to be the only prisoner. Not when she knew there were other fighters in Hyde’s stable as Henry had referred to it. She ran a hand through her hair, getting momentarily distracted as her fingers got caught in tangles. She cursed again at the cuff on her wrist when she caught sight of it. She glanced at the stone wall and a particularly jagged edge. She didn’t think it would work but she tried hooking the cuff against the stone and prying it off.

“That won’t work, Savior.”

Emma jumped at the broken voice, spinning on her heel to face the cell door. She let her fangs descend and bared her teeth at him. “Mister Hyde.”

He flashed a quick grin through the bars before unlocking the door. His wide, masculine body filled the entire frame of the open door, his head tilted as he regarded her. “Tell me, Savior. What do you know of my story?”

“Your _story_?” She took a wary step back. “You mean the part about the potion that turned you into a monster?”

He feigned hurt. “You think I’m a monster?”

“You kidnapped me and threw me in a cell,” she said. “I think if the shoe fits, you lace that shit up and wear it.”

Hyde grinned again, his black bloodshot eyes marking his amusement. “Very well, then.” He reached inside his coat and pulled out a slim blue vial. “Do you know what this is, Savior?”

“I could hazard a guess.”

“It’s the serum the good doctor used to create me,” he explained unnecessarily. “I have to admit I have a certain curiosity about how you will react to it given your mixed heritage.”

Emma rolled her shoulders. “That’s a curiosity you’re just going to have to live with.”

“Oh, I think I’ll find out soon enough.” He stepped back from the door. Hal, the bouncer from the club’s door, and three other henchman walked into the cell.

Emma backed up into the corner. There was no possible way this was going to end to her benefit, not with four against one and the devil himself standing behind them, but she wasn’t about to go down without a fight. 

“This doesn’t have to be difficult, Savior,” Hyde said as he stuck a needle into the blue vial and pulled back on the plunger, loading the barrel. “It’s going to happen one way or another.” 

“Yeah, maybe,” she admitted, eyeing her two closest opponents, “but let’s see how many bones I can break before that happens.” 

The answer was two. Her fist collided with a sickening crunch against Hal’s nose and she managed to buckle the knee of the second attacker before hands caught her around the arms and wrenched her out of the corner. The guy with the buckled knee wrapped around her legs from below, and she was slammed down to the floor, barely turning her head in time so her cheek hit the floor instead of her nose. Her left arm was wrenched backwards and up, her wrist bent painfully over as fire burned in her shoulder. A knee dug into her right shoulder as one large, beefy hand held her arm down and the other tangled in her hair, pinning her head to the floor. She struggled, crying out as the pressure on her joints increased until she stilled. 

“There, there,” Hyde tutted and she felt more than saw him kneel next to her. His hand brushed away hair from the back of her neck. 

“Hyde, I swear to God, you stick me with that, and I’ll kill you!” Her words were slurred as she grunted against the floor and again tried to move away. 

“In a few moments, Miss Swan,” he sunk the needle deep into the flesh of her neck, “you’ll kill anyone I put in front of you.”

Emma screamed as the bright blue serum burned through her veins.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory notes for this chapter: Hook is a vampire, too. He helped defeat the big bad in the previous story. Regina has a magical connection with Emma due to their bonding early in Emma's life as well as being Emma's sire.

Regina flinched.

“What is it, love?”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped irritated.

Hook shrugged not taking it personally. He’d arrived in Storybrooke a few days earlier to find himself once again dragged into a shitstorm as he’d so colorfully phrased it. He’d called Regina, expecting to reconnect and go have a few wild nights out on the town. Instead, he was hanging around her penthouse, waiting to once again face off against a great evil that was threatening people he marginally cared about. He did wonder sometimes why he kept coming back to this realm.

“Emma’s in pain,” Regina admitted quietly after a quick look around, her voice soft enough that only Hook would be able to hear her.

The pirate vampire busied himself by pouring a drink. “And we haven’t heard from the boy?”

“No, and it’s been two days.”

Hook sipped his drink and looked around the room. Snow and Charming were seated near the fireplace; the rest of their small pack somewhere nearby in the city. He knew Ruby was down the hall asleep in one of the bedrooms recuperating. Lily was in and out of the penthouse, gathering information she claimed, but he also knew she had no desire to simply sit in the brooding silence. He envied her freedom of movement but had made up his own mind to stay close to Regina.

“Our odds are worse than last time,” he said finally. “We’re down two magic users and three wolves by my count. And you say this Hyde fellow is immune to your magic? What exactly is your plan, your Majesty?”

Regina opened her mouth to answer but closed it as she felt an impending rush of magic approaching. She recognized the magic and grinned at the pirate. “Our odds just got better.”

His eyebrow cocked upwards but Regina walked out of the room, positioning herself in the hallway as her front door burst open. Snow and Charming rushed from the library at the commotion as Hook positioned himself a half-step behind Regina.

“Easy on!” Zelena snatched the arrow fired from Snow’s bow out of the air before it could strike as she appeared in a swirl of her signature green smoke. “What the bloody hell is going on?”

“It’s about time you got here,” Regina snapped, a touch of relief in her voice that most would not notice.

Zelena tossed the arrow back to Snow. “Wolves,” she said in greeting, then nodded at Hook. “Pirate.” She glanced to her left and raised an eyebrow at the young brunette standing with her arms crossed over her chest. “Dragon.” She turned back to her sister. “I leave for two bloody weeks and all hell breaks loose? What the hell are you up to, Dark Sis?”

Regina arched an eyebrow at the nickname. “You think this is _my_ doing?”

“Damned if I know,” the witch said, pulling off her gloves. “As soon as I stepped foot back in this realm my phone starts blowing up with messages. I had a dozen missed calls from Emma, and you left a message demanding I find you first before returning home. That doesn’t even begin to cover why Ruby looks like roadkill,” she gestured towards the tall brunette who was now leaning against the wall behind Lily, “or why Emma is absent from this gathering. Care to explain yourself?”

Before Regina could answer, a knock on the still open door drew all the attention away from the witch. Henry stood in the doorway, hand still raised. “Uh, is this a bad time?”

Regina strode forward. “You have news?”

He nodded, his hand dropping back to his side. “It’s happening. Tonight.” He glanced around at all the people gathered. “Hyde is billing it as the final fight of the season, a blood match, the Wolf Prince versus the Savior…to the death.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The night of Hyde’s highly anticipated last fight of the season had drawn the largest crowd yet. The abandoned warehouse down by the docks was basically a massive rave with pulsing music, free flowing alcohol, and more than a few stimulants being passed around – some more magical in nature than others. The crowd danced and partied all around the large, circular, empty cage that took up the middle of the floor. As long as the music kept playing, the crowd didn’t seem to care that the fight was supposed to have started more than an hour earlier.

Hyde, however, was not standing amongst the crowd. He stood on a catwalk overlooking the floor, his large hands wrapped around the railing. “Where is she?”

Milaje, Hyde’s dark-skinned assistant, stood ever-present at his side. “We’ve had no sightings of her.”

“She should have been here by now.” The metal railing creaked as he tightened his grip. “She’s trying to be clever.” His eyes scanned over the crowd moving beneath the strobing lights. “Bring out the Prince. Let’s see if we can entice the Dark Queen to play her next card.”

Milaje nodded and began issuing instructions. The club lights raced around the room as flood lights began to brighten the cage. A roar rose up from the crowd in anticipation.

Hyde scanned the mass of humanity. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

_“Hyde will be expecting us.”_

_It was a statement of fact that no one gathered in Regina’s library disagreed with._

_“So, what’s the plan?” Charming asked, glancing around at the assembled motley crew._

_Regina looked to Henry first. He stood alone at the back of the room, his dark eyes meeting hers. She’d spoken separately to both him and Zelena at length before they’d reconvened as a group. The witch was more than ready to go on the warpath after learning about the attack on her home, but Henry was still scared and masking it with anger. The Dark One stared him down until he looked away; Regina was strongly reminded of Emma during her teenage years and how headstrong she’d been. The years after high school, when she’d first learned about magic, had been even worse._

_“Regina?”_

_Snow’s voice broke her out of her reverie. She graced the younger woman with a slight nod before speaking. “We have to wait until Emma and James are both in the ring before we make our move.”_

 

Zelena glared up at the shadows gathered on the catwalk above the crowd. “Is that him up there?”

“Aye, love.” Hook took her by the elbow, turning her away from the catwalk and towards the fighting cage. “Now isn’t the time to draw attention to yourself.”

Standing nervously at Zelena’s other side, Henry glanced around as the club’s lights began to all focus on the cage. “It’s starting.”

Hook shoved a rather amorous couple out of their way as they moved closer to the center. “Z, I believe this is your department.”

“I’m well aware, pirate.” She ripped off one of her gloves and discreetly held her hand up to the magical barrier surrounding the cage. “Someone’s coming through.”

_Snow’s brows were drawn downwards. “Regina, if Emma and James are both in the ring-”_

_“They will have already started fighting,” Regina said, acknowledging the point, “but it’s the only way we ensure they’re both there. Hyde knows my magical signature; he’ll know the second I step foot inside his little club.”_

_“James will be no match for Emma,” Ruby offered quietly. She’d refused to go back to bed but was leaning heavily against Lily’s shoulder as they sat together on the settee. “He’s strong, but he doesn’t have her magic.”_

_“I have no intention of letting them kill each other,” Regina said. “We may have to wait for the fight to start, but I will be the one to finish it.”_

_“How?” Hook asked._

_“Before the fight starts, Zelena will bring the barrier down, allowing me to teleport inside once James and Emma are both in the cage.”_

_“You really think Hyde is just going to let me waltz inside this club?” Zelena asked. “My magic isn’t exactly subtle.”_

_Regina pressured Henry with her eyes. He swallowed uncomfortably and straightened. “I can get two people in through the back. If you don’t go through the barrier, your magic should mix with the rest of the crowd.”_

_“Should?” Zelena repeated, her derision clear. “Well, that makes me feel loads better.”_

 

A wavering, ring of fire appeared and began to widen inside the fighting cage. The portal was opening and the huge, bulked up figure of a half-man, half-wolf stepped through.

“James,” Snow exhaled at the almost unrecognizable figure of her son. Charming’s grip on her upper arm tightened as the crowd around them cheered the fighter’s appearance.

A sheen of light blonde fur covered his chest and back, his hands flexed into curled claws, and his facial structure was slightly elongated with sharpened teeth showing as he growled at the audience.

“He’s even bigger than last time,” Lily muttered, standing in awe beside Snow as she stared up at the fighter prowling around the cage. A flare of energy shot around the barrier, catching her attention. She looked past James, through the cage, and spotted Hook and Zelena. “I sure hope Regina knows what she’s doing.” _  
_

_“I can walk Snow and Charming in through the front,” Lily offered. “They’ll register as wolves but no one will question them. The rest of their pack will have to find their own way in.”_

_“I’m sorry,” Zelena spoke up, earning a glare from her sister, “but why is it that we know two dragons and yet here we sit with only the younger, weaker version?”_

_“Weak?” Lily’s eyes flashed yellow as she pushed to her feet. “I’ll snap you in half with one bite, witch.”_

_“Maybe,” Zelena acknowledged, unimpressed, “but your mother could do the same without even having to shift.”_

_“That’s enough, Z,” Regina snapped. She knew her sister was still reeling from learning about the attack on her home, but the last thing they needed right now was extra drama amongst themselves. “And don’t worry about Mal. She’s taking care of a different problem for me.”_

_Zelena rolled her eyes but at the Dark One’s continued glare, she relented, “I simply meant Lily is less formidable.” She looked at Lily. “I don’t find you weak.”_

_Ruby tugged on Lily’s arm, encouraging her to sit back down. “Come on, Lil. She didn’t mean it.”_

_“Now that we’ve worked all that out,” Hook said cheerfully, “let’s get back to the plan, shall we?” He looked to Regina. “What happens after the barrier is down?”_

 

“Sir, someone is using magic on the barrier around the cage,” Milaje reported, finger pressed against her ear as she listened to reports thru her blu-tooth.

Hyde straightened. “Really?”

“An unregistered magical signature,” she reported. “It’s powerful.”

“So,” he drawled with a bit of a smile on his face, “Regina has her friends doing her dirty work for her.”

“How do you want to handle it?”

“Intercept them,” he ordered, “and bring over the Savior. The prince and princess tearing each other apart should provide quite the distraction.”

_“As soon as James and Emma are both in the ring, and the barrier is down, I’ll teleport in. Zelena will subdue James, and I will handle Emma.”_

_Ruby looked doubtful. “Are you sure, Regina? I mean, I’ve seen what this serum does to people.” Her voice caught briefly. “They’re not going to recognize you. They’re going to be monsters.”_

_Regina knew Ruby wasn’t trying to challenge her. “Don’t worry, Miss Lucas. I’ve spent plenty of time around monsters.” She addressed the rest of the group. “That being said, Zelena and I’s focus will be solely on James and Emma. It’ll be up to the rest of you to make sure we are not interrupted.”_

 

“Hey Zelena, I think we’ve been noticed,” Henry said, looking past the redhead at where the crowd was parting unnaturally.

Hook turned, too and saw the group of wannabe secret service men headed their way. “I agree with the lad. We’re about to have company.” He pulled the sword free that had been hidden by a glamour at his hip.

Snow and Charming arrived at Henry’s side. “This is Hyde’s welcoming party, I take it?”

“Yeah,” Henry muttered. “The woman used to lead the special forces of some African nation, and she’s hand-picked and trained the rest of the goon squad.”

“Wonderful,” Charming muttered, readying his own sword.

“And there’s a second portal opening up.” Lily appeared at Hook’s side, having worked her way around the cage. “Seeing as how you’re such an all-powerful witch, you might want to hurry things up.”

“Oh, bugger off, Dragon.” Zelena made a slashing move with her hand magically pulling the barrier in front of her down with an ear-splitting screech.

Several things happened at once. Milaje and her crew arrived in front of the heroes, fanning out in a line as the cheering crowd backed away making space for them. The portal opened inside the cage and a snarling, mindless version of the Savior stepped out of it. Regina appeared in a plume of blackened-purple smoke directly beside Zelena.

The two magical sisters had just enough time to glance at each other before they heard James let out a menacing growl and charge towards his sister.


	13. Chapter 13

“Zelena, now!”

The witch ripped open a section of the cage as Regina used magic to separate Emma from James, throwing them to opposite sides of the cage. They both slumped to the floor, momentarily stunned, both already bloodied. Regina stepped into the cage and rose several feet into the air; the watching crowd cheered the spectacle.

“I am the Dark One.” Regina’s magically amplified voice quieted the crowd. “If you value your lives at all, you will leave this place immediately.” She let the darkness pour from her voice. “This will be your only warning.”

The crowd remained quietly stunned for a frozen moment in time. Then one person yelled, “Fuck yeah!”

“Good lord,” Zelena muttered, rolling her eyes as the entire club began to cheer louder than ever. She threw magic from both hands to keep the super-powered siblings in their respective corners as they shook off their magical stun. “Any other bright ideas, sis?”

Regina looked down at her to answer when gun shots rang out, causing even her to start. The cheering crowd suddenly began screaming with actual fear and running for the exits. A second trio of shots rent the air encouraging them to move faster.

She looked around for the source. “HENRY DANIEL MILLS!”

The teenager shrugged as he tucked the pistol he had fired into the air back into the waistband of his pants. “Humans might not understand magic, but they understand guns.”

Regina was indignant. “I know that any version of me taught you better than that.”

“Aw, leave him alone, Dark One,” Hook laughed as he readied his sword; Milaje was not amused and had pulled a sword of her own. The pirate stepped forward to engage her. “Hello, love. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”

“Move,” she said simply. “Or you will be moved.”

“Got any more bullets in that gun, Henry?” Lily called over her shoulder as she squared off to two of the burly men.

“Do _not_ encourage him, Miss Page!” Regina snapped.

“Now might not be the time for a morality lesson,” Snow responded as she pushed Henry behind herself and Charming.

“As much as I hate to agree with the princess about anything,” Zelena grunted, redoubling the magic she was using to hold Emma back, “aren’t you forgetting something?” She hated to sound like she needed help, but the juiced-up version of the girl she raised was powerful. “I believe you stated that you would handle Emma.”

“We are not finished discussing this, young man.” Regina flicked Henry on the back of the head with magic before redirecting her attention to the occupants of the cage. Green magic poured from her sister’s hands; she took position beside her. “On three, focus on James and get him out of here. One, two, three.”

A blast of darkened red magic knocked Emma back as the green magic faded completely. Regina and Zelena moved back to back squaring off to their respective charges. It was the first time she’d gotten a real look at Emma since she’d appeared. Even though she’d known Emma had been suffering, the knowledge did not make it easier to reconcile the woman she knew with the creature in front of her.

The blonde’s skin was ghostly white and her normally green eyes were obliterated with a swirling vortex of dark magic. The grey tank top, bloodied and torn from her brother’s attack, showed off rippling arms, unnatural muscles twitching and shifting as Emma’s multiple natures tried to dominate. She was a vampire, a true-love descendant of wolves, a white magic savior – and Hyde’s serum was summoning all of her.

Emma uncoiled back to her feet, her lips pulled back in a snarl. She growled at the sight of Regina, fangs descending and hands flexing into the claws of a wolf.

Regina smiled, her own fangs proudly on display. “Come on then, little one.”

Emma’s scream was a primal noise meant to instill fear.

The Dark One laughed.

With a roar, the blonde charged forward. Regina braced for the attack and caught Emma by the throat with one hand. She lifted the younger woman up off her feet and then slammed her down to the floor, pinning her effortlessly. Emma raked her claws down the brunette’s arm and her feet scrabbled against the floor, desperately trying to free herself.

_Hear me, child. Calm yourself._

The flailing claws and kicking feet stilled.

_Open your eyes and look at me._

The blonde opened her eyes and stared into the face looming over her. Eyes dark as sin and swirling with blood magic locked with hers. She whimpered as a new, darker pressure began to push back against the burning inferno that filled her mind. The amplified desires caused by the serum were no match for her sire’s call.

Regina held the gaze, her own power pouring into the girl she helped raise, the vampire she sired, until emerald green eyes were clear again. When Emma blinked, Regina allowed her expression to soften as she eased off the pressure she held against the blonde’s throat. “Emma?”

The blonde nodded, eyes closing as her entire body shuddered and broke out into a sweat. She coughed as she slowly sat up with her aunt’s help.

“Are you all right?” Regina asked, cupping her face and forcing her to look up.

“Yeah.” Emma nodded, relaxing into the warm hands on her face.

Regina gently tucked some of her hair back. “Idiot.”

Emma chuckled at the softly uttered term of endearment.  She patted her aunt’s leg. “Just…need a minute.”

Regina let the blonde collapse against her as a long, slow clap began to sound. She looked over her shoulder to see Hyde slowly approaching, his large hands coming together over and over in mocking applause. “Well done.”

Regina rose to her feet as he stepped nonchalantly past the line of his incapacitated guards. She helped Emma stagger up to her feet as Hyde joined them in the cage.

“Let me guess,” he sneered, his dark eyes falling on Emma. “A vampire won’t harm its sire.”

Regina admitted nothing. “You’ve lost, Hyde.”

He glanced meaningfully around the club. David and one of his pack stood guard over an unconscious Snow and Henry. A bleeding Lily was supporting a barely conscious Hook. And as planned, Zelena had taken James back to her mansion to throw him in a cell and let him sleep off the serum under Ruby’s watchful eye.

But Zelena should’ve been back by now.

Hyde gave Regina a crooked smile. “Have I?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Emma wanted to pass out. Her head was throbbing; she was shivering with fatigue and an unnatural cold, and the only thing keeping her on her feet was Regina’s supportive arm and a continuous flow of healing magic.

“You’ve lost Hyde.” 

Regina sounded confident, but Emma wasn’t quite sure where that confidence was coming from. She scanned the ragtag group of rescuers, broken, bleeding, and some only semi-conscious. She wasn’t surprised when Hyde offered her aunt a half curled smile.

“Have I?”

She heard Regina growl deep in her chest just before a blast of magic sent Hyde flying through the air until he hit the side of the cage. Emma’s eyes widened. She knew better than anyone that the Dark One didn’t like being challenged, but last Emma heard, they still hadn’t found a way to hurt Hyde with their magic. The laughter bubbling up from the beast-man’s chest as he pushed himself up from the ground confirmed her concern.

“You can’t hurt me, Dark One,” he chuckled, brushing dust off his coat. “And if you think your sister is going to be returning for your rescue, you’re going to be dis-appoin-ted.”

His enunciation of each hard syllable was enough to give Emma a chill. She glanced at Regina, hoping for reassurance, but found a darkening storm.

“If you did anything to hurt Zelena-”

Hyde loosed another deep chuckle. “I’ve done nothing to her.” He gestured widely with his hands. “She left. That can hardly be held against me.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Emma muttered finally feeling a bit of strength in her legs, enough that she thought she could, at least, stand on her own. “Z wouldn’t just leave.”

Regina glanced at her. “She did actually but that was the plan,” she admitted. “She got your brother out of here and somewhere safe.”

“And once you leave,” Hyde said, moving towards them again, “you can’t come back.” He glanced over at the slowly stirring figures of Snow and Henry. “I suppose young Henry missed that small detail.” He took in a deep breath. “I do hope her return wasn’t integral to your plan.”

Emma was surprised to see a smirk appearing on her aunt’s face. “Regina?”

“Integral? No,” she drawled and then gave a resigned sigh, “but it’ll be decades before she lets me hear the end of it.”

Oddly enough, Hyde and Emma sported matching looks of confusion and glanced at each other for answers.

“You see, after that calling card of death that you left at her house, I promised Zelena she could be the one to kill you,” Regina explained, “but now I’ll just have to take care of you myself.”

“And how do you think you are going to do that?” Hyde asked, regaining some of his swagger.

“It’s really quite simple,” she replied. “I just need to call up a dragon.”

Emma looked over at Lily, who was clearly sporting a broken arm and had dried blood down the side of her face. “Uh, I don’t think she’s in any shape…”

“Not her,” Regina cut her off, her expression turning to stone when she returned her attention to Hyde. “Tell me, Hyde, have you met the Mistress of all Evil? Allow me to introduce you. Maleficent!”

A slight shimmer appeared in the air beside Emma before the statuesque blonde magically appeared and she wasn’t alone.

“It’s about time you called,” Maleficent said, wrangling a mousy, bespectacled man around in front of her by his collar. “I’m not a babysitting service.”

The man was a nervous, bumbling mess. He immediately held up cuffed wrists towards Hyde. “I-I am so s-sorry. S-she came out of nowhere.”

Maleficent tightened the hold she had on his collar, choking off his rambling.

Hyde took a menacing step forward. “Let. Him. Go.”

Regina laughed darkly, taking her own step closer. “I don’t think so.” She flicked a small fireball at Jekyll making him cry out; Mal smirked.

Hyde glanced worriedly at the smaller man desperately brushing at burning embers on his clothes. “You have my attention, Dark One,” he admitted. “Shall we make a deal?”

“You can try.”

Emma’s gut clenched at the unexpected but familiar wave of dark energy that rolled off Regina. She suddenly felt stronger than she had since she’d regained her senses. She saw Mal shudder slightly and knew she wasn’t the only one feeling suddenly bloodthirsty. Emma knew the Dark One liked making deals but this felt like something much darker. Regina didn’t want to make a deal; she wanted to let Hyde dig his grave even deeper.

“You give me the doctor,” Hyde said oblivious to the growing ire of the Dark One, “and I will allow you and all of your friends to walk out the door. You can even take the boy with you.”

Regina glanced over to where Henry was now sitting up next to Snow. His dark, haunted eyes were watching Hyde closely. She smiled back at Hyde, eyes black with magic. “No deal.”

One hand shot out towards Jekyll and began magically choking him. Hyde’s hands went to his own throat as the doctor gagged. “You forget yourself, Hyde. I. Am. The Dark One.”

Mal released her hold on Jekyll and stepped back; both men fell to their knees desperately trying to gasp for breath.

“You do not _allow_ me anything.” Wisps of blackness slid off her as she took another step closer to Hyde. “But I’ll tell you what I’m going to allow. Eventually, I’m going to allow you to die.” Hyde’s eyes bulged as the invisible grip around his throat tightened further. Jekyll fell forward onto his elbows, his pale skin purpling from the slow deprivation. “I’m going to kill you because you are done torturing my family in this world or any other. I-”

 “Regina.”

The Dark One growled as she looked to see who dared utter her name at such a time. The boy, Henry, stood at the side of the cage, using it for support. She glared at him and snapped, “What?”

He gave her a half smile. “My mother always taught me not to play with my food.”

She laughed darkly at his audacity and inclined her head. “Very well.”

With a quick flick of her wrist, Regina snapped Jekyll’s neck, killing both the doctor and Hyde. Emma sucked in a breath as the darkness that had been pressing against her immediately dissipated. She stumbled over a step and leaned on the cage next to the boy. “Kid. That was…really dark.”

Henry shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.”

Emma frowned at that but couldn’t really find it in herself to feel bad about the outcome, especially since her shoulder was still throbbing where James had taken a bite out of it. Regina joined them and offered Emma a supporting arm. “We’ll discuss it when we get home, young man.”

Henry swallowed audibly and blinked multiple times. “Home?”

“Yeah, kid,” Emma said and looked around. Snow was leaning heavily against Charming with three of their pack standing nearby. Mal and Lily had Hook propped up between them, and Emma hated to think how rough she must look. “Let’s go home.”


	14. Chapter 14

It was nearly ten in the morning when Javier used his key to unlock the front door of Regina Mills’ penthouse. It was a Sunday and technically his day off, but with everything that had been going on, he wanted to check in and see if there was anything he could do to help. He’d tried to keep himself out of the mess, but he’d known the bare bones. People Miss Regina cared about were missing, the ones that weren’t missing were hurt, and then something had happened to Miss Emma. He almost felt pity for whoever was responsible.

Almost.

Walking out of the foyer, the first thing he noticed out of place was a black leather jacket hanging half-on and half-off the buffet. When he picked it up, there was a loud thunk as something that had been beneath the jacket fell to the floor. Javier blinked at the silver hook lying at his feet. He knew it belonged to Mister Jones as he’d seen the man wearing it before, but that didn’t explain why it was so carelessly misplaced. At least now he knew who the jacket belonged to. He picked up the hook, tucking it under one arm with intentions of cleaning it, and shook out the jacket so he could hang it up properly. That’s when he noticed the rips in the jacket.

He hesitated then held the jacket up by the shoulders. It was a wonder the leather was still in one piece with multiple cuts to both sides and the arms. There were also three distinct holes in the back that were surrounded by dark stains. Javier really hoped Mister Jones hadn’t been wearing the jacket when those holes had been made.

“I don’t think you can save that particular garment.”

Javier jumped, almost dropping the jacket as he glared towards the kitchen door. Regina stood smirking at him, holding her ever present cup of coffee. “You didn’t used to startle so easily.”

“I’m out of practice,” he said, draping the tattered jacket over his arm.

Regina glanced down at the floor at the comment, her smile fading. “Yes, well, my new work has kept me busier than I’d like these past years.”

He chuckled warmly and shook his head as he began making his way to the kitchen. “I told Miss Emma not to give you a hard time about working so hard and now here I am doing it for her.” When he drew even with her, he offered to take her almost empty mug. “My apologies.”

She handed it over knowing he’d get her a refill. “I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. Time just got away from me.”

“It happens.” He dropped the jacket on a stool and carefully balanced the hook on top of it. The hook needed to be cleaned and polished; he had no intention of examining whatever was staining it too closely. “We just care about you is all.”  He refilled her coffee mug and gave her a long once-over when he handed it back. “Are you taking care of yourself?”

“I’m fine.”

He began making a fresh pot of coffee, huffing his disbelief at her standard answer but choosing to leave it alone for the moment. He changed subjects. “How many should I be expecting for lunch?” At her questioning look, he elaborated. “All the bedroom doors are closed except yours. I assume Miss Emma is back from wherever she was and is in her room.” He gestured to the hook. “I’d also wager Mister Jones and Miss Lucas are occupying the other two rooms.” He glanced at her meaningfully again. “You are way calmer than you have been for the past week so I can only conclude that whatever business you were attending to has been concluded in a satisfactory manner.”

She took a sip of her coffee to cover up her amusement. She really needed to pay this man more. “Actually, Ruby and Miss Page stayed over at Zelena’s house. Snow and David are using the room she was staying in.”

“That explains the bow and arrows by the front door,” he mused and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Will the three ladies be joining us for lunch?”

“I would imagine they will be joining us at some point today. James will likely be with them, and Mal may or may not make an appearance at some point.”

He raised an eyebrow at that; he could count on one hand the times Mallory Drakon had set foot in the penthouse, and it had never been at the same time as the Nolans. That still left one room occupied and unexplained. “Who is in the study?”

The door to the study had been closed. That door was hardly ever closed so it didn’t surprise her too much that he’d noticed. “A young man named Henry is asleep on the couch.” She set her mug down on the counter. “He’s going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future.”

If Javier was surprised, he didn’t show it. “And does the young man have a last name?”

“Mills,” she said after a brief hesitation. “His name is Henry Mills, and he is my son.” She paused a beat then added, “Apparently.”

To his immense credit, Javier barely blinked. He simply turned, opened an upper cabinet, pulled out a bottle of Irish whiskey and added a healthy swig of it to his coffee. He held the bottle up in question to Regina and she nodded so he poured some in her mug as well. After the whiskey had been put away and he’d had a bracing sip of his coffee, he said, “Well, it sounds like you’ve had a busy week.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Let me see if I’ve got this straight, love.” Hook glanced around at the others gathered in the study before looking back to Regina and Maleficent. “You didn’t _know_ that killing Jekyll was going to work. That was your ace in the hole, and you were _bluffing_?”

All eyes turned towards the two powerful sorceresses. They exchanged a look and Mal gave a simple shrug of her shoulders before returning to her drink. These weren’t her people; she owed them nothing. Regina mirrored her actions and said, “I had a hunch.”

There was complete silence in the room for a single moment before Henry snorted and then cleared his throat suspiciously. He was desperately trying to keep a smile off his face but it was difficult when Snow and Emma were glaring at him while Regina gave him a warm look of affection.

“Oh, what does it matter? It worked, didn’t it,” Zelena said, flopping back into her chair. “It’s not like any of you had any better ideas.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Hook complained. “You weren’t run through three different times.”

The discussion devolved from there with everyone throwing verbal jabs about who had the worst of it, and Regina just observed them. Emma and Hook were both looking exceptionally healthier after feeding on some of the blood Regina kept stored up for just these sorts of occasions. She knew Hook would be going out tonight to feed straight from the source, and then he’d likely cut ties and sail out of the realm as fast as the wind would carry him. She didn’t expect to see him again for another decade or so.

James and Ruby were both on the road to recovery as well. James sat next to Snow, indulging her need to have him close, while David stood behind them. Now that his animalistic nature had been brought to the surface, James had asked Regina if she could help him keep the ability. It was going to require that he spend some significant time in the Enchanted Forest, but now that she understood how Hyde had been opening portals, travel between realms wouldn’t be a problem. Snow hadn’t been happy about it, but James was past due to find some trouble and adventures of his own.

She had a feeling Ruby would also be spending some of her future time in the Enchanted Forest. Mal and Lily both were looking forward to spreading their wings. Literally. If Lily and Ruby’s proximity to each other on the couch was any indication, she doubted Ruby would be far behind wherever Lily decided to fly.

“At least you got to finish your fight, pirate,” Zelena grumbled. “Some of us were left wanting.”

Regina rolled her eyes. Zelena had been complaining almost non-stop about everything from having to hire new help for her mansion and, of course, being left out of the grand finale as she called it. It was hardly Regina’s fault that Hyde’s spell had kept Zelena from returning, but that bit of logic hadn’t stopped the older sister from raising the point every chance she got.

“Easy, witch,” Hook snapped back, “jealousy really doesn’t suit you anymore.”

Regina stifled her own amused reaction to that comment, but wasn’t at all surprised when a green fireball was thrown across the room. She quickly snuffed out the flame. “Enough, children.”

Hook brushed soot off his shoulder. “Gratitude, love.”

“I happen to enjoy the books on the shelf behind you,” Regina replied. “I was saving them, not you.” Zelena preened at the comment. “Now, if you’re finished squabbling, I believe Javier has lunch set out for us.”

James and David were the first ones out of the room followed closely by Ruby and Lily. Snow shook her head, gave Regina a grin, and followed at a more respectful pace. Hook graciously allowed Zelena to walk ahead of him, and Mal had disappeared to who knows where.

Surprisingly, Emma and Henry were both hanging back. Regina raised an eyebrow at their behavior, knowing them both to usually be ravenous. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Henry said too quickly before shifting his weight and looking anywhere but at Regina.

Regina frowned at him but turned to Emma. The blonde had her hands tucked into her back pockets and was rocking back on her heels. “Emma?”

“Hmm? Oh. Uhm, no nothing’s wrong,” she fumbled out. At Regina’s forceful exhale, she continued, “The kid and I were just wondering, you know, what’s next?”

She looked between the two of them. “Next?”

“What happens now?” Henry blurted. “Are you expecting me to go to school, get a job, what? And what about you, are you just going to go back to being the Dark One?”

“Yeah, I mean, am I still running the clubs now that you’re back…” A hardness crossed through Emma’s expression. “Or are you leaving again?”

Ah. Emma’s muttered comments and even Javier’s remark came back to her. She had disappeared for three years with very little contact given to her family. During the first year of being the Dark One, the solitude had been necessary but once she’d adjusted, she supposed she could’ve made more of an effort to communicate with her family. Shown up for holidays and such.

“First off, I’d like to point out that I’ve never stopped being the Dark One,” she said specifically to Henry’s question. “That being said and with everything that has transpired, I would like to conduct more of my business from home.”

“You’re going to run Dark One deals out of a New York penthouse?” Emma asked.

She shrugged. “There’s nothing that says I can’t.” Emma made a noise in the back of her throat. Regina sighed, “There’s no manual for being the Dark One, Emma. I’m still…learning.”

Emma read the earnestness in her eyes. “Yeah, okay.” She huffed out a breath. “But, you know, if you have to take off again-”

“I will stay in touch,” Regina promised. She could do that. She didn’t think she’d have to leave again as she had learned a lot more control over the powers, but it was clearly an assurance that Emma needed to hear.

“What about me?” Henry asked when the silence stretched out a moment into awkward.

“Well,” she’d given it some thought this morning while she’d had her coffee, “you’re only sixteen.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Kid, let her finish,” Emma shushed him. “Trust me on this.”

Regina nodded at Emma in appreciation. Growing up, Emma had always had a habit of interrupting her. It had been annoying beyond belief until the blonde had finally learned a modicum of patience. “As I was saying, you’re only sixteen, Henry, but you have seen and experienced things way beyond your years. I don’t think a high school setting is suitable for you, but perhaps home schooling with a tutor until you are ready to test for your GED.”

Emma was nodding. “Yeah, that could work.” She hit him on the shoulder. “What do you think, kid?”

Henry considered them both for a moment before nodding. “I like it.”

Regina could feel that he wanted to ask for more but was holding back. “What is it, Henry?”

His ears pinked, but he managed to ask, “Do you think I could go to college?”

Emma practically beamed at Regina. The brunette inclined her head. “Of course, Henry. Do you know what you’d like to study?”

“I’ve thought about being a writer.”

Regina smiled. She liked that. “I look forward to reading your stories.”

“Oh, I think they’ll be _our_ stories,” Henry grinned. "Plenty of material there to work with."

Javier stuck his head in the door. “There’s not going to be any food left if you don’t hurry up and get in there.”

Regina laughed to herself as Emma and Henry bolted for the dining room. It was easy to believe they were related. She followed after them and stood at the doorway looking into her very full dining room. Javier had outdone himself once again as the table was laden with food and everyone was eating and chatting. She watched Henry pile his plate with food as Emma stole the last drumstick off of James’ plate. She wondered briefly how Henry would write this story. Would it be full of the fantastic creatures and monsters that surrounded the table, or would he put a realistic spin on it and make them all normal people trying to survive extraordinary circumstances? 

“Regina?”

Her sister’s voice broke her reverie.

The redhead pointed at a dish on the table. “There’s pie.”

She smirked. Zelena was the only one that knew she had a weakness and fondness for one food. “Is it apple?”

The witch rolled her eyes and reached for the dish. “Of course. What else would it be?”

Regina heard a fork hit a plate and looked up to realize everyone was watching her, waiting to see what she would do. She pulled out a chair and took a seat. “Well, then I think I’ll have a slice.”

Emma busted out laughing when Javier dropped the entire plate of rolls he’d been carrying. Regina laughed too and told him to sit down and have some pie with her. Soon enough the conversation was flowing once again.

There would be problems again in the future, and they’d have to call on the likes of pirates and dragons to help them, but for the moment all the monsters were silenced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story!


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